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CHILDREN  BY  CHANCE 
OR  BY  CHOICE 

AND    SOME    CORRELATED    CONSIDERATIONS 
BY 

WILLIAM  HAWLEY  SMITH 

Author  of  "All  the  Children  of  AU  the  PeoTple" 
*'The  Evolution  of  Dodd,"  etc. 


BOSTON 
RICHARD  G.  BADGER 

THE   GORHAM    PRESS 


COPYHIGHT,    1920,   BY   RiCHABD   G.   BaDGER 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Gorham  Press,  Boston.  U.  S.  A. 


TO    AJ.L   HONEST    AND    THOUGHTFUL    MEN    AND    WOMEN 

EVERYWHERE  WHO  WOULD  '*SEEK  FOR  TRUTH 

AS  FOR    HID    treasure" 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED 
IN  A   SPIRIT   OF   LOVE   AND   SERVICE 


^53! 4« 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/cliildrenbyclianceOOsmitricli 


"  The  present  is  a  scientific  age,  and  in  the  do- 
main of  science,  contentment  with  attained  condi- 
tions is  a  curse.  It  paralyzes  initiative,  thwarts 
achievement,  and  fosters  the  ^  pride  of  ignorance,* 
Conten  ment  is  the  force  that  restrains  the  timorous 
from,  abandoning  that  which  has  been  condemned  by 
logic  and  repudiated  by  experience.  It  is  the  amber 
in  which  defects  are  handed  down  from  one  genera- 
tion to  another.  Contentment  keeps  us  within  the 
compass  of  present  possession,  commits  us  to  the 
fewest  means  of  being  satisfied,  and  blinds  us  to  the 
fact  that  all  things  are  susceptible  of  betterment.^* 


TO  THE  READER 

As  you  begin  the  reading  of  this  book,  I  have  a 
request,  or  at  least,  a  suggestion  to  make,  namely, 
that  you  will  begin  at  the  beginning  and  read  what 
follows  "in  course,"  and  not  "skipping  'round" !  ! 

My  reason  for  asking  this  is,  that  it  is  only  by 
pursuing  the  first-noted  method  that  you  can  get  out 
of  the  book  what  I  have  tried  to  put  into  it ;  or, 
really  can  obtain  any  comprehensive  grasp  of  what 
the  book  really  contains !  And  it  is  for  what  the 
book  really  contains  that  I  have  written  it;  and  it 
is  with  the  same  purpose  that  you  should  read  it. 

The  need  for  this  word  of  caution  is,  that  the 
title  of  the  book  suggests  so  sharply  what  the  reader 
is  anxious  to  learn  about,  that  he  or  she  will  want 
to  come  at  once  to  details,  and  so  will  go  rambling 
about  through  the  pages  in  search  of  the  much-de- 
sired information.  Whoever  does  this  is  not  only 
doomed  to  disappointment,  but  will  entirely  miss  the 
main  motive  and  principle  which  the  book  contains. 
And  such  an  outcome  is  something  to  be  avoided,  if 
possible,  as  it  will  render  both  my  writing  and  your 
reading  of  none  effect.     So  don't  do  it  that  way ! 

My  discussion  of  the  subject  which  I  have  treated 
9 


10  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

in  this  book  is  in  the  nature  of  a  mathematical  dem- 
onstration, or  logical  proof  of  the  proposition  sug- 
gested by  the  title,  "Children  by  Chance  or  by 
Choice,"  etc. ;  and  one  can  never  master  either  of 
these  methods  of  solving  a  problem,  or  of  arriving 
at  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  without  following,  step 
by  step,  all  the  items  involved  in  the  argument! 
And  if  the  reader  merely  "dips  into"  the  pages  here 
and  there,  he  can  never  find  out  either  what  they 
were  written  to  substantiate  or  what  he  is  anxious 
to  know! 

So  read  "in  course,"  please,  and  then  I  think  there 
is  at  least  a  possibility  that  we  may  all  get  some- 
thing out  of  these  pages  which  will  be  really  worth 
while. 

Wm.  Hawley  Smith 

Peoria,  Illinois 

September  4,  1919 


FOREWORD 

It  is  utterly  useless  to  attempt  to  blink  the  fact 
that  as  times  change  and  the  world  progresses,  con- 
ditions change  and  new  policies  are  imperative.  I 
doubt  if  the  enlightened  makers  of  our  Constitution 
expected  or  intended  that  it  could  be  a  perfect  docu- 
ment, suited  to  cover  all  possible  contingencies  for 
all  future  time.  At  any  rate,  they  left  an  avenue 
for  amendment  open,  and  we  avail  ourselves  of  it 
from  time  to  time. 

But  in  the  earlier  day  of  the  world,  when  the  in- 
spired writer  imputed  Onan's  race-suicidal  at- 
tempts to  him  for  criminality  and  made  his  sudden 
death  appear  as  a  punishment  from  the  Lord  for 
his  crime,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  sacred  writer's  in- 
spiration took  cognizance  of  present-day  conditions. 

It  is  hardly  safe  to  assert  that  the  same  divine 
Over-ruler  who  said,  "Be  fruitful  and  multiply," 
when  the  world  was  young  and  population  sparse, 
would  use  identical  phraseology  now  when  applied 
to  sections  crowded  with  the  physically  and  mentally 
deficient,  with  struggling,  suffering  women  and  un- 
derfed, joyless  men. 

We  have  come  to  believe  that  God  means  to  be 
good  to  His  creatures  and  that  most  of  their  suf- 

11 


12  Foreword 

ferings  and  shortcomings  depend  on  their  short- 
sighted ignorance  of  His  law  or  their  imperfect 
interpretation  of  it,  not  on  the  inexorable  demands 
of  a  jealous  Creator, 

If  war,  pestilence,  and  famine  cease,  and  altruism 
prevails,  we  do  not  need  to  refer  to  Malthus  for  in- 
formation as  to  conditions  which  inevitably  result. 
We  surely  know  that  with  unrestricted  production 
of  offspring  there  would  be  a  struggle,  for  a  time, 
for  the  fit  to  find  means  to  provide  for  the  unfit ;  but 
that,  in  tlie  end,  without  intelligent  restrictive 
measures,  the  two  together  would  populate  the  earth 
beyond  the  possibility  of  sustenance  for  either.  We 
have  already  seen  this  in  China.  We  have  seen  it  in 
India.  We  have  seen  it  in  the  slums  of  great  cities. 
On  the  ot^ier  hand,  we  have  the  unique  experiments 
of  New  Zealand  and  Holland,  where,  as  fewer  are 
bom  more  are  reared.  We  also  have  our  own  anom- 
aly of  wealthy  and  educated  families  (families  in 
name  only)  with  one  child  or  none,  and  opposed  to 
til  is  the  ignorant  toiler  and  his  wife,  struggling  with 
their  handicap  of  ignorance  and  their  burden  of 
half  a  score  or  more  of  children.  This  may  be  a 
family,  but  it  is  hardly  marriage.  The  former  con- 
dition (except  where  physical  disabilities  prevent 
child-bearing)  might  better  be  called  prostitution 
than  marriage;  the  latter  might  better  be  called 
slavery. 

Control  there  has  been,  is,  and  will  be.  Wliat  shall 


Foreword  13 

it  be,  legal  or  illegal,  sane  or  insane,  humane  or  bar- 
barous ? 

The  writer  of  these  introductory  lines  has,  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  spent  all  the  time  and 
thought  that  he  could  spare  from  the  family  bread- 
winning  (since  he  has  six  children  of  his  own)  in 
devising  ways  and  means  of  encouraging  or  com- 
pelling the  childless  to  have  families,  the  ov^-bur- 
dened  to  curtail,  the  unmarried  to  marry,  and  the 
married  to  live  naturally,  healthfully,  and  happily. 

Never  has  he  seen  a  book  which  so  simply  and 
sensibly  puts  before  the  American  public  the  un- 
answerable arguments  for  proper  regulation  in  the 
size  of  families. 

We  need  clear  expositions  on  this  subject  today, 
when  iniquitous  laws,  conceived,  to  be  sure,  in  good 
faith  by  self-appointed  guardians  of  the  public  con- 
science, cause  all  good  people  shame  and  the 
ignorant  or  credulous  disease,  misery  and  death; 
when  long  instructed  tradition,  bom  of  ignorance, 
is  so  strong  that  sane  efforts  to  change  laws  which 
most  enlightened  nations  have  already  changed,  meet 
with  open  hostility  or  surreptitious  side-tracking  in 
the  halls  of  Congress ;  and  still  the  carnage  goes  on, 
though  the  war  is  over. 

Intelligent  men  and  women  whose  families  number 
from  two  to  five  children  find  it  almost  impossible 
to  live  on  incomes  ranging  from  two  to  four  thousand 
a  year,  while  less  intelligent  workingmen   and  wo- 


14<  Foreword 

men,  with  families  several  times  as  large  are,  many 
of  them,  obliged  to  live  on  half  that  income.  Young 
men  and  women  refrain  from  marriage  because, 
though  income  has  known  limits,  they  know  no  way 
of  limiting  the  size  of  the  family.  Others,  with  defi- 
nite knowledge,  marry  and  have  no  family,  while 
others,  already  married  and  with  half  a  score  of  chil- 
dren, continue,  in  their  ignorance,  to  add  yet  another 
child  annually. 

Ignorance  and  prejudice  and  old-time  dogma  have 
had  their  day  with  this  question,  and  reason  and 
common  sense  are  being  applied  to  it. 

The  author  of  this  book  is  no  novice,  "The  Evo- 
lution of  Dodd"  made  him  famous,  and  "All  the 
Children  of  All  the  People"  was  a  great  addition 
to  our  pedagogical  literature  and  had  been  so  recog- 
nized by  the  teachers  of  many  states;  but  he  has 
excelled  himself  in  the  present  volume,  wherein  he 
so  humanly,  irrefutably,  appealingly,  shows  the 
truths  which  some  social  workers  and  scientists  have 
grasped,  but  which  the  people  generally  have  heeded 
little  as  questions  of  gravest  public  import,  though 
multitudes  of  individuals  have  defied  law  and  scorned 
tradition  in  attempting  to  find  rational  solutions  of 
these  problems  for  themselves. 

This  is  not  such  an  absolutely  unknown  field  as 
the  author  states  in  his  introduction;  but  it  is  true 
that  among  the  people  generally  little  is  known. 
Great  is   our  disgrace  and   responsibility  that  we, 


Foreword  16 

as  a  medical  profession,  know  things  which  we  know 
are  for  the  people's  good,  and  yet  do  not  rise  up  as 
one  man  and  demand  legal  right  to  teach  these 
truths.  Great  also  is  the  responsibility  of  legisla- 
tures and  people  to  know  that  these  things  are 
known  if  they  do  not  immediately  enact  or  demand 
the  enactment  of  the  proper  legislation.  So,  since 
we  already  know  what  to  do,  since  we  have  adequate 
remedies  for  this  disease  of  civilization  if  we  could 
only  apply  them,  this  book  must  serve  a  wonderful 
purpose  and  be  of  inestimable  value  in  correcting 
the  erroneous  thinking  of  the  "neo-Platonic  ascetics" 
whom  we  still  have,  and  whose  "opinions"  are  still 
^'intermingled  with  the  dogmas  of  the  early  Chris- 
tian theology,"  and  in  awakening  people  to  a  sense 
of  their  responsibility  toward  their  fellow-creatures, 
even  if  their  own  knowledge,  probably  surreptitious- 
ly obtained,  is  adequate  for  their  own  needs. 

I  believe  that  this  book  in  itself  is  capable  of 
awakening  a  strong  enough  public  opinion  to  de- 
mand and  obtain  immediate  legislation  which  would 
so  correct  our  laws  as  to  annually  save  thousands 
of  lives  and  countless  unspeakable  miseries. 

I  would  therefore  characterize  its  author,  who  ad- 
vocates "love  and  service"  in  his  writings  and  ex- 
emplifies them  in  his  life,  as  a  great  apostle  of  this 
doctrine.  Surely  he  is  an  altruist  par  excellence, 
since  his  ideas  for  racial  betterment  are  so  sane  that 
sensible  people  cannot  fail  to  at  once  adopt  them. 

W.  F.  RoBiE,  M.D. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

Introduction 19 

I     Chance,  Choice,  and  Progress 27 

II    Some  Bits  of  History 33 

III  "Go  to  the  Ant" 37 

IV  The  Plus  of  Humanity 44 

V    Further  Studies  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity      .      .  C3 

VI    The  Three  I's 74 

VII     Something  of  What  All  These  Things  have  to  do 

with  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice  ....       8.5 
VIII    Some  Studies  as  to  the  Real  Mission  of  Sex  in 

the  Human  Species 104 

IX    What  Ought  to  be   Done   I'nder  These   Circum- 
stances?      119 

X    The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  in  the 

Position  Just  Taken Itlj 

XI    Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations  of  the  Pi-us  of 
Humanity,  as  It  Applies  to  Sex  in  the  Human 

Species iJOJ 

XII    Some  Results  that  would  Probably  Follow  Such 

A  New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     .      .      .     242 

XIII  Objectors  and  Ob.jections,  and  Some  Answers  to 

Both 2^50 

XIV  When  Shall  These  Things  Be? 280 

XV    Some  Reasons  Why  What  Should  Be  Will  Become 

What  Must  Be 297 

XVI    One  Other  Correlated  Subject 344 

17 


INTRODUCTION 

In  undertaking  a  study  of  what  is  set  forth  on 
the  title  page  of  this  book,  namely:  "Children  by 
Chance  or  by  Choice,  and  Some  Correlated  Sub- 
jects," I  am  aware  that  I  am  venturing  into  a  region 
that  comes  as  near  to  being  the  absolutely  unknown 
as  anything  that  still  remains  unexplored,  in  all  the 
world. 

There  is  not  a  single  phase  of  all  the  issues  in- 
volved in  these  matters  that  is  as  yet  settled  with 
scientific  certainty. 

Whether  the  substitution  of  choice  for  chance,  in 
bringing  children  into  the  world,  is  a  possibility, 
even  for  certain  individual  parents,  is  as  yet  a 
mooted  question,  when  it  comes  to  the  experiences 
of  married  men  and  women,  take  them  as  they  go! 

Much  less  is  it  known  whether,  even  if  such  were 
discovered,  such  a  definite  possibility  could  ever  be 
made  available  for  all  classes  and  conditions  of  the 
human  race. 

And,  even  if  such  a  manner  of  re-populating  the 
earth  should  be  found  out,  the  question  still  remains 
whether  such  conditions  would  subserve  the  highest 
and  best  interests  of  humanity  as  a  whole. 

19 


go  Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

In  a  word,  the  possibility,  the  practicability,  the 
utility,  the  wisdom,  of  such  a  condition  of  affairs 
in  human  life — all  these  are  unsettled  issues  as 
things  now  are.     So  much  is  certain. 

But  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  unknown  and 
the  unexplored  always  present  legitimate  fields  for 
attempted  discovery,  and  there  is  always  a  poignant 
fascination  that  lures  men  on  to  try  to  find  out  what 
no  one  as  yet  is  certain  of ! 

Millions  of  money  have  been  spent,  and  many  hu- 
man lives  have  been  sacrificed  in  attempts  to  discover 
the  North  Pole.  My  belief  is  that  the  truths  I  am 
seeking  to  discover,  in  my  present  search,  are  of  far 
more  moment  to  humanity  than  is  being  able  to 
locate  the  exact  spot  on  the  earth's  surface  where 
the  north  end  of  its  axis  sticks  out  into  cold  weather ! 

It  is  in  this  spirit,  and  imbued  with  this  belief, 
that  I  have  been  studying  the  subjects  I  have  dis- 
cussed in  this  book  for  more  than  forty  years. 

In  the  prosecution  of  such  work,  I  have  been  as- 
sisted by  scores,  not  to  say  hundreds,  of  good  men 
and  women,  married  and  unmarried,  who  have  most 
generously  given  me  the  benefit  of  their  own  per- 
sonal experiences  along  the  lines  of  my  search.  The 
first  noted  of  these,  namely,  the  married,  have  let 
me  know  what  they  have  found  out  regarding  the 
first  part  of  my  inquiry,  namely,  that  of  bringing 
children  into  time  and  space  by  choice  rather  than 
by  chance. 


Introduction  21 

On  the  other  hand,  a  large  number  of  unmarried 
men  and  women  have  freely  submitted  to  me  their 
own  experiences  on  "some  correlated  subjects"  which 
are  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  important  as  the  tes- 
timony I  have  heretofore  referred  to. 

Added  to  the  testimony  of  these  two  classes  of 
witnesses,  I  have  that  of  a  large  number  of  doctors, 
lawyers  and  clergymen,  representatives  of  three  pro- 
fessional classes  whose  work  brings  them  into  close 
touch  with  those  who  know  most  of  these  vital  af- 
fairs of  life  through  their  own  experiences,  and 
which  knowledge  these  have  imparted  as  patients, 
clients,  or  parishioners  to  their  physicians,  counsel- 
ors or  pastors,  respectively. 

To  all  of  these  I  am  under  more  obligation  than 
I  can  possibly  express,  not  on  my  part  only,  but 
for  the  sake  of  the  men  and  women  who,  I  hope,  may 
profit  from  what  these  devoted  souls  have  so  faith- 
fully and  truthfully  transmitted  to  me,  and  through 
me  to  you  who  may  read  these  pages. 

It  goes  without  saying,  that  in  the  ver^j.  nature 
of  things,  the  personality  of  these  individuals  must 
remain  undisclosed;  but  none  the  less,  they  are  all 
worthy  of  crowns  of  honor  for  what  they  have  so 
generously  donated  to  this  supreme  cause  in  hu- 
man existence. 

What  I  have  done  is,  to  put  together  these  many 
experiences,  and  by  strictly  inductive  methods  of 
treatment  to  try  to  form  some  conclusions  that  shall 


22  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

be  of  lasting  value  to  those  who  come  after — that  is, 
to  generations  now  living  and  to  those  yet  unborn. 

I  have  treated  some  of  the  things  that  are  in- 
volved in  these  subjects  by  analogical  methods,  but 
in  all  such  cases  I  have  used  the  utmost  care  to  keep 
such  analogies  strictly  within  the  bounds  in  which 
they  may  be  made  to  truthfully  apply. 

We  all  know  that,  as  a  rule,  analogy  is  one  of  the 
most  dangerous  methods  of  applied  reasoning.  I 
need  not  stop  here  to  tell  why  this  is  so.  The  world 
is  full  of  illustrations  of  this  fact,  however. 

But  I  am  certain  none  of  my  readers  can  find 
cause  for  accusing  me  of  any  unfairness  or  injustice 
in  this  respect.  On  the  other  hand,  they  will  give 
me  credit  for  calling  attention  to  an  untold  num- 
ber of  the  most  grave  and  flagrant  violations  of  true 
analogical  reasonings,  on  the  part  of  many  writers 
who  have  used  this  method  of  arriving  at  conclu- 
sions regarding  the  subjects  which  I  have  discussed 
in  these  pages. 

I  wish  the  reader  would  make  special  note  of  this 
point,  and  discern  how  it  works  out  as  this  book  is 
read. 

In  order  to  give  the  subjects  I  have  treated  a 
strong  foundation  to  rest  upon,  I  have  been  obliged 
to  go  a  good  way  down,  or  back,  into  certain  basic 
principles  that  pertain  to  human  life  and  human 
progress.  All  such  treatment  naturally  comes  in 
the  first  part  of  the  book,  and  for  it  I  bespeak  the 


Introduction  23 

most  careful  attention  and  thoughtful  study  on  the 
part  of  the  reader.  It  is  only  by  fully  mastering 
this  part  of  my  argument  that  one  can  come  into  a 
state  of  mind  for  passing  just  judgment  upon  the 
conclusions  I  have  finally  arrived  at,  and  which  will 
be  found  in  the  later  chapters  of  what  I  have  writ- 
ten. 

I  have  discussed  the  issues  I  have  presented  from 
two  viewpoints:  first,  that  of  common  humanity; 
second,  that  of  common  sense.  Truly,  these  two 
are  virtually  one,  in  any  final  analysis.  That  they 
have  not  always  been  so  is  the  pity!  It  is  my  pur- 
pose to  make  them  agree,  herewith,  though  I  have 
separated  them  somewhat  by  putting  one  before  the 
other  in  what  I  have  written. 

So  now  let  us  begin  at  the  beginning  and  reason 
together,  calmly,  honestly,  scientifically,  generously, 
and  in  a  truly  unbiased  manner  on  these  subjects 
which  all  must  acknowledge  are  the  most  important 
in  the  whole  realm  of  human  life  and  action,  and  es- 
pecially so  just  at  this  particular  period  of  human 
history,  as  the  denouement  of  my  argument  will 
show. 


CHILDREN  BY  CHANCE 
OR  BY  CHOICE 


CHILDREN  BY  CHANCE  OR 
BY  CHOICE 

CHAPTER  I 

CHANCE,  CHOICE,  AND   PROGRESS 

In  the  pursuance  of  these* studies,  I  wish,  first  of 
all,  to  take  up  and  consider  the  relative  values  of 
chance  and  choice,  as  their  influences  for  producing 
results  appear  among  the  causes  of  human  progress 
in  general.  It  is  in  this  way  that  I  shall  lead  up  to 
and  raise  the  question  which  I  hope  to  answer  be- 
fore we  get  through,  namely,  how  these  factors  rela- 
tively apply  to  the  matter  of  bringing  children  into 
this  world! 

On  the  first  of  these  points  it  almost  goes  without 
saying,  for  it  is  practically  self-evident,  that  the 
measure  of  human  progress,  all  along  the  line — all 
the  way  from  the  primordial  conditions  of  mankind 
to  the  highest  achievements  of  the  race  in  the  most 
modem  times — is  the  degree  to  which  man  has  elimi- 
nated chance  as  a  factor  in  his  life  and  condition- 
ings, and  established  choice,  to  the  extent  of  positive 

27 


28  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

cortfiiiity  6f  actual  results  deliberately  planned  for, 
knd  produced  by  wilfully  controlled  causes — in  its 
stead ! 

This  is  a  fundamental  principle  which  is  without 
exception  as  far  as  human  progress  has  so  far  come, 
as  '  any  student  of  the  records  of  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  race  can  verify  if  he  will  take 
the  time  to  do  so. 

Just  to  emphasize  the  working  out  of  this  prin- 
ciple of  choice  taking  the  place  of  chance  in  human 
progress,  it  is  only  necessary  to  point  out  the  fact 
that  with  primitive  man,  chance  was  the  chief  fac- 
tor in  his  life.  His  food  supply  was  almost  wholly 
dependent  upon  it,  and  shelter  and  clothing  were 
similarly  conditioned.  If  he  went  out  to  hunt,  he 
took  his  chances  of  finding  game,  and  he  fished  by 
the  same  rule.  If  he  were  a  shepherd,  he  led  his 
flock  where  pasture  chanced  to  be.  The  first  hu- 
man habitation  was  a  hole  in  the  rocks  which  its  oc- 
cupant chanced  upon,  and  the  scant  clothing  he  and 
his  wore  was  of  chance  origin  and  adaptation. 
These  are  the  records  of  individual  man  in  his  earli- 
est estate. 

Collectively  considered,  the  same  chance  factors 
are  so  pronounced  in  the  early  conditionings  of  the 
race  that  their  recital  seems  superfluous.  When  a 
plague  broke  out  among  a  people  or  tribe,  its  mem- 
bers had  no  protection  against  its  ravages,  but  each 
had  to  take  his  chances  of  perishing  from  its  unre- 


Chance,  Choice,  and  Progress  29 

stricted  attacks.  Famine  ran  riot  after  a  chance 
unfavorable  season,  and  there  was  no  way  of  ward- 
ing off  its  devastations.  The  sailor  on  the  high 
seas  took  his  chances  of  surviving  the  storms  he  was 
ill  prepared  to  weather,  and  the  farmer  knew  not 
when  he  sowed  his  seed  what  the  harvest  would  be. 

But  as  man  has  progressed  in  the  scale  of  being, 
all  these  conditions  have  changed,  to  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  and  the  measure  of  his  advance  is  the 
total  of  his  emancipation  from  the  chances  which  so 
long  held  him  in  thrall. 

Probably  the  highest  achievements  of  this  prin- 
ciple are  found  in  the  realm  of  animate  life-forms 
below  man.  Doubtless  the  variations  in  plants  and 
animals  have  always  been  caused  by  intelligently  di- 
rected energy,  but  none  of  this  was  primarily  under 
the  control  of  man;  and  hence,  so  far  as  humanity 
was  concerned,  such  changes  were  matters  of  chance. 
But  as  time  has  gone  on  man  has  entered  this  field  of 
purposeful  direction  of  the  life-force,  and  his  guid- 
ing hand  is  now  seen  in  thousands  of  definite  and 
predetermined  forms  of  vegetable  and  animal  life 
into  whose  present  status  the  element  of  chance  en- 
ters not  a  whit.  To  such  degree  is  this  true  that  it 
can  safely  be  asserted  that  the  propagation  of  plants 
and  the  breeding  of  domestic  animals  at  the  hands 
of  human  guidance  is  no  longer  a  matter  of  chance, 
but  one  of  almost  definite  scientific  certainty.  Here 
not  only  have  the  hopes  of  discoverers  been  realized, 


30  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

but  the  utmost  dreams  of  wild  enthusiasts  have  been 
surpassed. 

It  is  these  achievements  which  lead  us  to  believe 
that  the  elimination  of  chance  as  a  factor  in  hu- 
man affairs  will  progress  with  the  years  till  it  shall 
practically  disappear  altogether!  This,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  there  are  some  fields  in  which  it  still 
reigns  supreme,  even  at  this  late  day,  and  the  ob- 
stacles which  are  arrayed  against  its  extermination 
seem  almost  insurmountable. 

Among  these  yet-to-be-attained  accomplishments 
still  to  be  hoped  for  is  that  of  bringing  children  into 
this  world  by  choice  rather  than  by  chance,  even  if 
now  one  hardly  dares  ask  the  question :  Will  chance 
ever  be  cast  out  from  th€  highest  function  of  human 
beingsy  or  must  souls  forever  be  incarnated  at  hap- 
hazard? 

The  processes  of  evolution  are  so  slow,  in  their 
tireless  workings,  that  their  watchers  and  noters 
sometimes  grow  heartsick ;  but,  from  what  they  have 
already  accomplished,  we  are  warranted  in  prophe- 
sying what  they  will  yet  effect.  And  since  man  has 
become  a  factor  in  helping  to  forward  evolutionary 
processes,  in  so  many  of  the  ways  in  which  the  life- 
force  manifests  itself,  it  is  not  too  much  to  main- 
tain that,  nature  and  man  working  together  and  in 
harmony,  conditions  will  some  day  be  established 
which  will  make  it  certain  that  every  soul  bom  mto 


Chance,  Choice,  and  Progress  31 

this  world  shall  enter  by  the  gate  of  definite  purpose 
and  assurance  rather  than  at  the  portal  of  chance. 

It  must  he  possible  that,  some  time,  vn  all  the  hu- 
man family,  the  art  of  love  will  be  discovered, 
taught,  arid  acquired,  and  the  science  of  procreation 
studied  and  mastered. 

And  because  these  things  are  so,  study  and  inves- 
tigation as  to  the  laws  that  pertain  to  the  genera- 
tion, the  growth  and  the  betterment  of  all  forms 
of  life,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  human  life 
included,  are  strictly  in  order;  and  to  disseminate  a 
knowledge  of  such  helpful  discoveries  as  may  be 
found,  to  teach  those  who  come  after  so  that  wis- 
dom shall  take  the  place  of  folly,  and  "I  know'*  shall 
supplant  "I  guess"  or  "may-be-so"  in  all  the  realms 
of  life  activity — this  is  the  highest  service  that  any 
soul  can  render  to  the  human  race.  Here  lies  the 
labor  for  the  original  researcher,  the  explorer,  the 
philosopher,  the  thinker,  and  the  workers-for-good, 
in  every  line  of  life. 

But  here,  in  especial,  lie  the  purpose  and  the  labor 
which  animate  and  give  pertinence  to  the  studies 
and  observations  set  forth  in  the  following  pages, 
which  are  devoted  to  a  consideration  of  the  rightful 
propagation  of  the  human  species,  to  the  bringing 
of  human  bodies  and  souls  into  time  and  space,  and 
to  the  issues  that  are  naturally  and  inseparably 
connected  therewith. 


82  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Whether  these  things  shall  forever  continue  to 
be  as  they  have  for  the  most  part,  always  been,  or 
whether  something  better  can  take  their  place,  this 
is  what  all  that  follows  in  this  book  is  about. 


CHAPTER  II 


SOME  BITS  OF  HISTORY 


For  the  sake  of  deepening  and  solidifying  the 
foundation  principle  of  progress  by  choice  rather 
than  by  chance,  it  will  be  well  to  review,  somewhat 
in  detail,  some  of  the  results  that  have  already  been 
achieved  in  the  affairs  of  this  world  by  the  use  of 
this  method. 

A  very  simple  illustration  is  the  fact  that  the  most 
luscious  apple  that  now  gratifies  the  human  palate 
has  been  evolved  from  the  bitter  fruit  of  the  crab- 
tree,  which  will  draw  one's  mouth  to  a  pucker;  and 
this  change,  this  progress,  has  been  brought  about  by 
the  deliberate  choice  of  man  to  make  something  bet- 
ter than  the  primary  form  of  the  apple  family. 

Or,  go  further  back  in  the  expressions  of  form  and 
force  that  appear  in  this  world,  and  note  what  the 
choice  of  man  has  effected  in  these  realms.  See 
what  chemical  exploitations  have  come  to  under  such 
guidance !  Volumes  could  not  obtain  the  records  of 
the  advancements  and  improvements  which  have  been 
made  on  original  appearances  and  primary  condi- 
tions on  this  score. 


34  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Or,  take  the  line  of  mechanical  appliances,  and 
contrast  what  now  is  with  what  once  was,  and  see 
how  true  it  is  that  all  advance  in  this  part  of  the 
utilization  of  energy  has  come  as  a  result  of  the 
choice  of  man!  More  volumes  could  be  written  in 
substantiation  of  this  proposition,  and  but  half  the 
truth  would  then  be  told. 

Or,  look  at  all  the  variations  and  developments 
that  have  been  made  in  animal  life  through  the  ex- 
ercise of  this  power  of  choice,  and  which  power  ex- 
ists in  man  alone!  Compare  the  hog  of  to-day  with 
the  wild  boar  of  yesterday,  or  the  horses  of  this  gen- 
eration with  those  that  primarily  roamed  the  plains 
in  uncounted  herds,  and  all  of  crude  feature  and 
form! 

Not  to  make  too  long  a  story  of  this,  or  to  weary 
the  reader  with  multitudes  of  examples,  let  any  one 
think  of  any  expression  of  electrical  or  chemical  en- 
ergy, or  of  mechanical  power,  or  of  life-force,  which 
has  been  made  subject  to  the  influence  of  the  choice 
of  many  and  note  the  changes  that  have  been  brought 
about  by  such  means,  and  he  will  see  the  point  I  am 
now  driving  at. 

And  when  this  is  done,  look  at  the  human  race, 
and  think  how  little  has  been  accomplished  for  its 
improvement,  at  the  hands  of  choice  rather  than  of 
chance,  so  far  as  the  reproduction  of  the  species  is 
concerned,  and  then  see ! 


Soine  Bits  of  History  35 

On  this  count,  so  far  in  the  world's  history,  hardly 
a  single  move  for  progress  has  as  yet  been  made! 
The  marvel  of  it! 

On  all  other  planes  except  that  of  the  improve-* 
ment  of  the  human  race,  the  choice  of  man  has  got 
in  its  work;  but  here  it  has  not,  as  yet,  been  given 
even  a  reasonable  opportunity  to  express  itself.  On 
the  contrary,  its  exercise  in  this  field  is,  to  this  day, 
forbidden  by  law;  and  even  so  grave  and  reverend 
a  body  of  men  as  a  committee  of  leading  physicians 
in  one  of  the  foremost  Medical  Societies  in  this 
country,  to  whom  the  matter  of  giving  choice  rather 
than  chance  a  place  in  the  economy  of  human  re- 
production was  referred,  made  a  report  which  read: 
"We  must  uphold  the  laws  of  nature  against  man's 
meddling  I" 

Everywhere  else  man  has  "meddled,"  if  you  will, 
with  nature's  way  of  doing  things;  but  here,  ac- 
cording to  this  kind  of  philosophy,  he  must  forever 
stand  back  and  let  nature  have  her  way,  regard- 
less! 

In  the  presence  of  the  Bits  of  History  narrated  in 
this  chapter,  and  of  thousands  of  similars  that  might 
be  cited,  it  seems  incredible  that  a  body  of  sane 
and  educated  men  could  be  guilty  of  making  a  re- 
port so  utterly  at  variance  with  the  principles  em- 
bodied in  all  human  progress.  But  more  of  this 
later. 


36  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

For  the  present,  let  the  reader  permit  this  re- 
markable condition  of  affairs  to  get  a  good  grip  on 
his  reason,  his  common  sense  and  liis  conscience,  as 
a  most  excellent  preparation  for  looking  into  the 
following  chapters! 


CHAPTER  III 


As  a  next  step  m  this  study  of  children  coming 
into  this  world  bj  choice  rather  than  by  chance,  I 
call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  a  most  common 
error  which  has,  so  far,  been  made  by  nearly  all 
writers  and  talkers  on  this  subject, 

I  have  shown  that  choice  is  an  universal  factor 
in  human  progress,  wherever  progress  has  been 
made,  and  I  have  further  suggested,  by  implication, 
at  least,  that,  by  the  same  token,  it  should  become 
an  item  in  the  matter  of  the  reproduction  of  the 
human  species,  as  it  is  not  yet. 

Next,  I  emphasize,  strongly,  the  fact  that  choice 
as  to  what  one  shall  do  or  shall  not  do  is  a  distimc- 
tively  human  characteristic!  No  stone,  no  tree,  no 
mere  animal — no  form  of  life  or  force,  below  man, 
has,  in  and  of  itself,  a  power  of  choice  which  orig- 
inates in  the  individual  itself,  and  which  can  be  ex- 
ercised solely  on  the  initiative  of  the  individual  pos- 
sessing this  quality. 

All  these  lower  forms  of  being,  or  of  state,  if  they 
act  at  all,  do  so  under  the  control  of  some  power 

37 


38  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

other  than  anything  which  originates  from  within 
themselves.  They  are  all  acted  upon  by  some  power 
outside  themselves,  and  their  acts  are  all  determined 
for  them,  rather  than  originated  by  them.  They 
do  what  they  must  and  not  what  they  choose  to  do ! 

This  is  a  distinctive  difference  between  man  and 
all  other  created  forms,  animate  or  inanimate,  what- 
soever; and  it  is  this  difference  that  I  insist  on  to 
the  utmost,  just  at  this  point  in  my  argument. 

Now  it  is  because  of  this  distinctive  difference  be- 
tween human  beings  and  all  other  created  forms,  this 
power  of  choice,  of  individual  initiative,  on  the  part 
of  man,  that  Tnankind  is  thereby  set  outside  of,  or 
apart  from  and  beyond  all  comparisons  with  other 
beings  which  have  not  this  quality,  in  all  matters 
where  an  exercise  of  will  has  the  possibility  of  taking 
the  place  of  a  comptdsory  force  acting  from  with- 
out, as  the  basic  cause  of  the  acts  which  are  done  by 
the  organisms  through  which  one  or  the  otlier  of 
these  forces  acts! 

That  is,  an  individuality  that  has  the  power 
within  itself  of  determining  its  own  actions  is  not  to 
be  guided,  or  ruled,  or  judged  by  the  laws  and  prece- 
dents that  pertain  to  individualities  whose  acts  are 
controlled  by  something  outside  of,  or  some  one 
other  than  themselves ! 

This  is  the  first  great  reason  why  nearly  all  analo- 
gies that  are  drawn  between  man  and  anything  be- 


''Go  to  the  Ant"  39 

low  him,  are  almost  entirely  worthless,  and,  in  most 
cases,  absolutely  false. 

Now,  in  spite  of  all  these  plain  and  undeniable 
facts,  one  of  the  most  common  methods  of  trying 
to  teach  and  direct  human  beings  in  their  varied 
ways  of  life,  is  to  make  comparisons  with,  and  to 
draw  analogies  from  life-forms  below  mankind,  and 
to  apply  these,  sometimes  almost  without  discrimina- 
tion or  reservation,  to  the  totality  of  men,  women 
and  children,  individually  and  collectively,  in  all 
their  thoughts,  words  and  deeds! 

Thus,  Solomon  wrote  "Go  to  the  ant,  thou  slug- 
gard," and  Jesus  said,  "Consider  the  lilies,  how  they 
grow."  In  much  the  same  way  Maeterlinck  worked 
out  a  system  of  human  government  from  studying 
hives  of  bees,  and  Mendel  evolved  a  theory  of  the 
laws  of  heredity  by  breeding  pigeons;  while  other 
men  and  women  have  made  similar  demonstrations  in 
similar  ways. 

Now  all  these  sayings  and  conclusions  are  per- 
fectly right  in  their  way,  the  only  trouble  with  them 
being  the  length  to  which  they  are  carried  by  over- 
zealous  souls  who  analogically  apply  them  to  hu- 
manity! Thus  the  Wise  man  was  perfectly  justi- 
fied in  advising  a  lazy  person  to  observe  and  profit 
by  the  industrious  ways  of  the  ant ;  and  Jesus  gave 
the  best  of  advice  to  people  who  were  vain  of  their 
dress  when  he  said,  "Consider  the  lilies."     Likewise 


40  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Maeterlinck  did  a  most  wonderful  piece  of  patient 
observation  when  he  studied  the  ways  of  bees  as  he 
did ;  and  Mendel  is  to  be  commended  for  his  patient 
and  persistent  methods  of  breeding  fowls  and  four- 
footed  beasts. 

But  the  point  that  should  be  noted  with  regard 
to  the  conclusions  and  philosophies  that  are  drawn 
from  a  study  of  any  and  all  forms  of  life  below 
man,  and  which  are  afterward  made  to  apply  to 
humanity  as  a  whole,  at  the  hands  of  analogy  is, 
that  they  fall  down  and  fail  utterly,  because  of  one 
fatal  lack  which  they  all  possess,  as  follows : 

Comparisons  that  are  really  of  value  can  be  made 
only  between  things  that  are  alike  at  the  points  at 
which  the  comparisons  are  made;  and  to  push  such 
comparisons,  or  analogies,  on,  to  points  where  the 
thmgs  compared  differ  essentially — this  is  to  make  a 
grave  mistake  and  to  distort  methods  which  might 
work  out  valuably  if  only  they  were  not  forced  be- 
yond  tlieir  legitimate  fields  of  application! 

And  here  is  the  place  where  all  these  compari- 
sons between  man  and  lower  forms  of  life,  and  the 
conclusions  drawn  from  them,  fall  short!  All  these 
observations  and  experiments  are  made  upon  forms 
of  life  below  man ;  and  then  they  are  made  to  apply 
to  matters  and  things  in  the  human  economy  which 
are  totally  different  from  tlie  life-experiences  from 
which  they  are  drawn! 


"Go  to  the  Anf*  41 

Thus,  all  the  acts  that  are  referred  to  in  the  quo- 
tations from  the  Bible,  and  the  studies  I  have  cited, 
are  done  by  instinct,  merely,  and  these  acts  are  then 
compared  to  the  acts  of  men  and  women,  which  are 
done  under  the  control  of  the  will,  that  is  by  choice ; 
and  right  there  is  where  all  the  evils  arise  from  mak- 
ing such  comparisons ! 

The  ant  is  industrious  because  it  is  built  that  way 
and  it  could  not  do  other  than  as  it  does,  even  if  it 
should  want  to,  ajid  it  never  wants  to — is  incapable 
of  wanting  to!  The  lily  grows  by  no  volition  of  its 
own,  but  solely  by  means  over  which  it  has,  in  and 
of  itself,  no  control  whatever.  The  lily,  per  se,  has 
no  guiding  ability  in  determining  its  form  or  its  col- 
ors! It  takes  the  shape  it  has,  and  the  color  with 
which  it  is  endowed  because  it  has  to,  and  not  because 
it  chooses  to !  The  element  of  its  own  choice  enters 
into  its  expression  not  a  whit! 

In  the  same  way  the  bee  builds  its  cells  and  gath- 
ers and  deposits  its  sweets  because  it  must  and  not 
because  it  wills  to  do  as  it  does.  It  has  to  do,  rather 
than  chooses  to  do.  It  is  compelled  to  do  what  it 
does  rather  than  acts  of  its  own  volition  and  its  own 
initiative. 

In  almost  identical  fashion,  Mendel's  pigeons  and 
rabbits  and  guinea  pigs  were  formed,  as  to  their 
bodies,  or  marked  as  to  the  coverings  of  those  bodies, 
as   they   were,   one   generation    after   another,   not 


42  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

through  any  choice  or  exercise  of  wills  of  their  own, 
but  solely  as  some  force  other  than  themselves  pre- 
determined and  directed ! 

And  above  ally  so  far  as  my  particular  argument 
is  concerned,  how  many  descendants  any  of  these 
shovld  have  was  not  within  the  scope  of  their  deter- 
mining at  all,  or  in  any  way,  shape  or  manner,  what- 
ever! All  these  bred  because  instinct  compelled  them 
to  breed,  and  not  becaues  they  chose,  of  their  own 
wills  to  do  so !     Think  of  that  a  minute ! 

All  of  which  means  that  the  laws  and  conditions 
which  pertain  to  the  breeding  of  mere  animals  differ 
vitally  and  immeasurably  from  those  that  hold  good 
in  the  reproduction  of  the  human  species,  in  this  es- 
sential particular,  namely,  that  the  one  is  grounded 
in  mere  INSTINCT  and  the  other  has  in  its  exercise 
the  possible  POWER  OF  CHOICE. 

The  possible  power  of  choice  as  to  the  rmmber  of 
its  progeny  has  no  place  in  the  breeding  of  merely 
vegetable  or  animal  life-forms!  But  there  is  at 
least  the  possibility  of  the  exercise  of  the  power  of 
choice  in  human  procreation,  and  this  fact  precludes 
the  possibility  of  making  any  analogical  comparison 
between  the  two,  which  shall  hold  good  in  the  essen- 
tials in  the  premises! 

Drive  a  stake  there,  and  drive  it  deep,  for  it  is 
a  center  to  tie  to,  that  must  and  will  hold  when  the 
strain  of  a  sane  conclusion  is  drawn  on  this  par- 
ticular part  of  my  argument. 


"Go  to  the  Ant"  43 

As  to  this  matter  of  instinct  as  the  forceful  and 
guiding  factor  in  mere  animal  breeding,  and  of  what 
takes  its  place  in  the  propagation  of  the  human  race, 
of  this  I  shall  have  more  to  say  later  on.  Just  now, 
and  to  lead  up  to  the  next  chapter,  note  well  that  it 
is  this  power  of  choice  which  man  haSy  and  which 
vegetables  and  mere  animals  have  not,  which  makes 
man  man — that  is,  this  quality  makes  man  something 
more  than  any  form  of  life  which  exists  below  him! 

This  something  more  than  exists  below  man,  I  have 
named  "the  plus  of  humanity,^*  and  it  is  this  that  I 
shall  study  in  detail  before  we  proceed  to  the  more 
complex  considerations  which  are  involved  in  the 
elaborations  of  the  discussion  of  the  subjects  in  hand. 

Let  this  chapter  be  summed  up,  then,  in  the  con- 
clusion that  man  is  more  than  any  plant  or  any  mere 
animal ;  that  he  is  more  than  lily,  or  ant,  or  bee,  or 
pigeon,  or  rabbit  or  guinea  pig,  and  that,  therefore, 
none  of  his  acts  which  come  under  the  control  of  his 
will — ^his  power  of  choice — can  be  rightly  measured 
by  any  rod  or  line  whose  dimensions  are  laid  out  on 
mere  material  planes;  neither  can  the  right  or  the 
wrong  of  his  acts  be  justly  judged  by  standards 
which  are  derived  from  expressions  of  the  life-force 
which  are  below  man's  scale  of  being ! 

Keep  this  point  in  mind,  as  you  read  on,  for  it  is 
fundamental  in  the  matter  of  "the  plus  of  human- 
ity." 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE   PLUS   OF   HUMANITY 


By  "the  plus  of  huma/nity**  I  mean,  as  I  have  al- 
ready hinted,  all  those  qualities  and  attainments 
which  have  been  acquired  by  man  through  the  ex- 
ercise of  liis  own  power  of  choice,  rather  than  at  the 
hands  of  chancel 

The  basis  of  all  this  plus  is  the  human  wUl;  and  it 
is  the  possession  and  the  use  of  this  characteristic  on 
the  part  of  mankind,  which  distinguishes  human  be- 
ings from  all  other  life-forms!  It  is  this  **plu>Sy*' 
which  is  thus  added  to  man's  natural  make-up  (to 
liis  mere  animality,  if  you  please)  which  makes  man 
man;  and  which,  in  its  totality,  shows  the  lengths  to 
which  man  has  progressed  beyond  all  other  created 
beings ! 

This  fact  is  such  an  important  point  in  what  we 
are  studying  that  it  needs  something  more  than  a 
simple  statement  of  its  significance  and  truthfulness ; 
and  for  this  reason  I  shall  devote  this  chapter  to  its 
extended  consideration,  as  follows: 

Let  us  first  take  a  very  simple  illustration  of  how 
this  principle  applies  and  holds  good  in  so  common 

44 


The  Plus  of  Humanity  45 

a  case  as  that  of  the  physical  appetite  for  food  as 
it  appears  in  mankind.  Regarding  this,  I  shall 
show  what  the  power  of  choice  and  the  will  of  man 
have  produced  beyond  mere  animality,  on  this  par- 
ticular part  of  man's  make-up  and  being. 

In  common  with  all  animals  below  man,  human  be- 
ings possess  a  physical  appetite  for  food.  They 
have  to  eat  to  live.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
do  not  have  to  live  merely  to  eat,  as  is  practically 
the  case  with  all  other  forms  of  animal  life!  That 
is,  there  is  a  vast  difference  in  the  purposes  and  the 
results  that  come  from  the  exercise  of  this  quality 
in  eating,  as  it  exists  in  man  and  in  the  forms  of  life 
below  him. 

Thus,  among  all  the  animals  below  man,  the  sole 
purposes  of  physical  appetite  for  food,  are  first,  to 
keep  the  body  of  the  possessor  alive ;  and  second,  to 
keep  that  body  in  such  condition  that  it  may  repro- 
duce after  its  own  kind.  With  these  two  demands 
of  mere  animal  life  satisfied,  there  is  nothing  more 
possible  of  realization  on  the  part  of  such  life- 
forms,  through  the  aid  of,  or  stimulation  by  food, 
the  desire  for  which  is  seated  in  physical  appetite ! 

This  simple  statement  of  a  universal  fact  needs 
only  to  be  made  to  have  its  truthfulness  universally 
acknowledged. 

But  now  observe  the  out-working  of  physical  ap- 
petite for  food  as  it  exists  in  human  beings,  and  as 
wrought   upon   by    man's    choice   and   wHl!     Here, 


46  Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

while  it  still  maintains  the  dual  utility-function  of 
its  existence,  namely,  bodily  sustenance  and  the 
keeping  of  the  body  in  such  condition  that  repro- 
duction is  possible — qualities  which  are  common  to 
all  forms  of  animal  life,  mankind  included — yet  it  has 
added  modes  of  expression  which  no  form  of  life  be- 
low mankind  possesses  in  the  least  degree! 

It  is  this  added  quality,  which  first  shows  itself  m 
hwman  beings,  this  something  more  than  appears  in 
any  previous  forms  of  life,  that  I  call  "the  plus  of 
humanity,"  and  I  am  here  considering  it  only  inso- 
far as  it  applies  to  physical  appetite  for  food,  as  it 
exists  in  mankind. 

Something  of  the  extent  and  significance  of  this 
particular  "plus,"  in  this  regard,  let  us  consider  to- 
gether, for  a  little  as  follows : 

Suppose  you,  whoever  you  are,  man  or  woman, 
should  come  to  our  home  for  dinner  some  day.  Let 
us  see  what  such  an  experience  would  be  like. 

We  would  not  make  any  great  "spread"  for  you, 
but  we  would  add  a  few  extras  in  your  honor,  as  you 
would  like  to  have  us,  and  as  we  would  be  pleased  to 
do.     And  here  is  something  of  what  you  would  find : 

The  well-built  table  would  be  covered  with  a  well- 
laundered  and  immaculate  table-cloth,  and  at  each 
place  about  the  board  there  would  be  laid  a  nap- 
kin, two  knives  and  probably  three  forks,  and  an 
equal  number  of  spoons,  or  furnishings  of  equal  rank, 
taste  and  mutual  delight.     There  would  also  be  an 


The  Plus  of  Hum  emit  y  47 

ample  supply  of  glass  and  of  china  and  other  fur- 
nishings, etc.,  etc.,  as  in  such  cases  made  and  pro- 
vided, with  a  vase  of  flowers  in  the  center  of  the 
table,  of  course.  So  much  for  the  table  itself,  as  we 
sat  down  to  it. 

And  then  we  would  have  a  soup,  or,  possibly  a 
fruit  cocktail  ahead  of  that,  which  would  be  fol- 
lowed by  a  meat  course  (though  we  might  put  in  an 
extra  of  fish  because  you  were  with  us)  and  after 
the  meat  course,  we  would  have  a  salad,  followed 
by  a  pudding  (or,  perhaps  pie,  for  wife  and  I  were 
both  born  and  raised  in  the  "pie  belt,'*  and  we  still 
cling  to  some  of  our  pristine  likings,  in  spite  of  all 
the  conventions  which  culture  has  brought  us 
through  the  years)  and  then  would  come  coffee  and 
finger  bowls. 

There !  I  hope  you  would  get  a  fairly  satisfactory 
dinner  out  of  such  a  menu,  for  I  assure  you  that 
everything  served  on  our  table  would  be  the  best  of 
its  kind.  To  have  all  our  food  appear  in  its  best  es- 
tate on  our  table,  has  been  a  fundamental  princi- 
ple with  wife  and  myself,  during  the  nearly  half- 
century  of  our  married  life;  and  such  fact  has  had 
much  to  do  with  the  success  of  our  conjugal  rela- 
tions during  all  these  years.  (Please  note  that  last 
statement  well;  for,  really,  it  has  ever  so  much  sig- 
nificance in  the  argument  which  I  hope  to  clinch 
before  I  get  through.) 

And  after  dinner,  we  might  smoke  for  an  hour  in 


48  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

the  library,  if  you  are  a  man ;  or,  if  you  are  a  woman, 
you  might  take  up  your  crochet  work  or  your  tat- 
ting, as  we  sat  in  easy  chairs  before  a  comfortable 
wood  fire  on  the  hearth. 

Well,  as  we  sit  there  and  smoke,  or  "tat,"  as  the 
case  may  be,  let's  review  the  experiences  of  the  time 
we  have  just  had  together,  and  see  how  many  of  them 
belong  to  the  mere  animality  there  is  in  us,  and  how 
many  to  the  plus  of  our  humanity! 

How  large  a  factor  in  that  dinner  was  the  pur- 
pose merely  to  keep  our  bodies  alive  and  in  such 
condition  that  we  could  reproduce  after  our  kind? 
Even  to  suggest  such  a  question  brings  a  frown  to 
the  brow  and  a  qualm  to  the  heart,  so  small  a  por- 
tion of  this  part  of  our  lives  had  even  recognition 
in  what  took  place  at  this,  our  mutual  meeting. 

And  yet,  to  keep  alive  a/nd  to  be  able  to  breed  is  all 
that  any  mere  animal  could  have  gotten  out  of  such 
a  meal  as  we  have  partaken  of,  or  any  other! 

Go  into  details  a  little  more,  just  here,  and  see 
what  comes  from  so  doing.  See  how  small  a  part  of 
mere  animality  there  was  in  the  entire  occasion! 
Just  eliminate  from  that  dinner  everything  except 
what  was  absolutely  necessary  to  keep  life  in  our 
bodies  and  maintain  our  procreative  abilities,  and 
see  how  little  would  be  left! 

Under  such  ordering,  the  table  goes,  the  linen  goes, 
all  the  silver,  the  glass,  the  china,  the  flowers — in  a 
word,  all  the  table  furnishings  whatsoever.     Even 


The  Plus  of  Humcmity  49 

the  chairs  we  sat  on  have  no  place  in  such  a  clear- 
ing out  of  the  non-essentials  of  mere  physical  ex- 
istence ! 

And  with  the  throwing  out  of  these  go  all  the 
cooking  of  the  various  foods ;  indeed,  all  the  variety 
of  foods  themselves,  as  well ;  and  all  that  we  have  left 
is  a  heap  of  raw  meat  and  unground  grain,  that 
we  can  gather  about  and  devour,  after  the  manner 
of  all  the  rest  of  animal  life  except  human  beings! 

To  be  sure,  such  bestial  manner  of  feeding  to- 
gether would  have  sustained  life  and  kept  us  in  con- 
dition to  cause  more  of  our  likes  to  be — ^to  live  as 
we  had  lived,  and  to  die  as  we  should  have  to  die; 
all  just  as  those  before  us  had  lived  and  died,  but 
all  without  making  a  single  step  of  progress  toward 
better  things  in  the  scale  of  our  being. 

(Take  a  fresh  cigar  from  the  holder  on  the  man- 
tle, or  begin  the  next  pattern  of  your  thread-work, 
and  let  us  go  on  a  little  further  with  this  talk. 
Thanks !) 

And  now  see  what  the  power  of  choice,  exercised 
through  the  mill  of  rruin,  had  to  do  with  what  we 
experienced  at  dinner.  Looked  at  in  the  order  of 
their  progress  from  crude  materials  to  the  well-pre- 
pared foods  we  ate,  and  all  the  settings  and  accom- 
paniments that  went  with  these  same — such  develop- 
ments and  adaptations  came  as  follows : 

To  begin  with,  all  these  improvements  on  orig- 
inal conditions  had  their  start  in  the  desire  of  man 


60  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

for  something  better  than  he  already  had ;  and  this 
desire  was  grounded  in  man's  power  to  choose. 
Without  such  power,  desire  for  better  things  would 
not  have  a  leg  to  stand  on !  Mere  animals  have  no 
power  to  choose,  on  their  own  initiative,  and  so  they 
never  start  anything,  out  of  themselves,  which  will 
inure  to  their  own  improvement,  or  that  of  their  en- 
vironment! Such  life^forms  have  no  desire  to  im- 
prove their  condition  or  their  conditionings.  They 
are  content  to  live  as  they  are,  and  that's  enough. 

But  man,  even  primitive  man,  desired  something 
better  for  himself  and  his,  and  right  there  was  the 
beginning  of  such  human  progress  as  resulted  in 
our  dinner — and  of  much  else  as  well,  as  we  shall 
see  later. 

The  next  step  in  such  advance,  which  resulted  in 
our  dinner  program,  came  when  the  imagination  of 
man  took  up  what  his  desire  had  suggested,  and 
elaborated  these  as  only  this  faculty  of  the  human 
make-up  is  capable  of  doing.  It  thought  out  pos- 
sibilities ;  it  saw  visions  and  dreamed  dreams  of  what 
the  future  might  have  in  store  to  satisfy  the  desires 
of  men,  as  these  were  more  or  less  imperfectly  and 
crudely  expressed. 

And  after  the  imagination  had  got  in  its  work  on 
the  problem  which  desire  had  suggested,  then  man's 
ingenuity  took  up  the  task  of  making  available,  of 
concretely  realizing  what  was  put  up  to  it  at  the 


The  Plus  of  Humanity  61 

hands  of  these  strictly  human  qualities,  whose  ac- 
tivities had  preceded  its  possible  expression. 

Desire,  imagination,  ingenuity,  all  based  in  man's 
power  of  choice,  and  all  exercised  in  the  order  above 
stated,  each  acting  in  turn  upon  everything  we  had 
to  do  with  at  dinner — these  are  what  made  possible 
the  meal  we  have  just  partaken  of. 

And  it  is  these  same  human  characteristics,  acting 
in  this  same  order,  which  are  behind  and  underneath 
all  human  progress!  It  is  in  the  exercise  of  these 
strictly  human  qualities  that  a  plus  of  humanity  be- 
comes possible,  that  it  is  what  it  is ;  and  that,  being 
what  it  is,  puts  man  in  a  class  hy  himself,  one  not  to 
be  Tneasured  or  judged  by  standards  which  apply 
only  to  that  which  is  below  him,  NOTE  THAT 
WELL! 

Let  me  say  it  again,  for  it  is  fundamental,  and 
needs  to  be  inculcated  ("inculcated"  means  kicked 
in)  that  it  is  this  plus  of  humanity,  which  has  come 
to  mankind  at  the  hands  of  desire,  imagination  and 
human  ingenuity,  all  based  on  man's  power  of 
choice,  which  makes  man  man !  Were  it  not  for  these 
possessions,  exercised  on  man's  own  initiative,  he 
would  be  no  more  than  any  other  created  life-form, 
just  a  plant  in  the  ground  or  a  beast  of  the  field, 
merely  that  and  nothing  more! 

(Let's  think  of  that  a  minute  while  we  make  rings 
of  smoke,  or  ravel  out  a  mistake  in  the  last  pattern. 
Now  we  will  go  on.) 


52  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

Really,  what  we  actually  ate  as  we  sat  at  table, 
was  the  smallest  part  of  our  dining  together!  I 
doubt  if,  a  week  from  now  you  could  tell  what  it  was 
you  had  eaten  as  our  guest.  But  the  plusses  of  that 
meal!  The  converse  we  had  as  we  ate!  The 
stories  we  told,  the  views  of  life  we  discussed,  the 
grace  of  wife  as  she  poured  the  coffee  or  handed 
you  an  extra  lump  of  sugar  for  your  cup — all  these 
things,  and  a  score  besides,  none  of  which  had  the 
least  thing  in  the  world  to  do  with  the  mere  animality 
of  your  being  or  mine,  and  not  one  of  which  any 
animal  other  than  man  could,  by  any  possibility,  get 
anything  out  of — all  these  things,  all  these 
"plusses,"  you  will  not  only  remember,  but  all  such 
are  now  a  part  of  your  life,  and  you  are,  and  always 
will  be,  a  stronger  and  a  better  m£wi  or  woman,  on 
all  sides  of  your  human  existence,  as  a  result  of  our 
breaking  bread  together  as  we  did. 

(And  we  will  think  of  that  a  minute,  as  we  smoke 
or  knit ;  for,  involved  in  all  this,  and  wrapped  up  in 
it  somewhere  and  somehow,  is  this  plus  of  humanity, 
as  it  pertains  to  the  physical  appetite  of  man,  which 
I  am  trying  to  reveal  and  to  show  the  meaning  of.) 

And  excuse  me  if,  once  more,  for  the  sake  of  driv- 
ing this  point  home,  I  insist  on  the  fact  that  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  ingenuity  of  men,  inspired  by  their 
desires  and  imaginations,  which  manipulated  for  our 
uses  the  crude  elements  which,  in  a  raw  form,  sustain 
life  in  mere  animals,  but  which  appeared  on  our  table 


The  Plus  of  Humcmity  6S 

as  they  did — if  it  had  not  been  for  these  causative 
factors  in  the  case,  there  could  have  been  no  real  hu- 
man progress  for  us,  nor  for  any  in  the  world,  so 
far  as  growth  through  the  physical  appetite  is  con- 
cerned ;  but  we,  and  with  us  all  mankind,  would  have 
forever  remained  like  the  rest  of  the  brutes,  and  never 
have  risen  above  the  plane  of  animality  in  any  way ! 
That  is,  if  man  had  been  compelled  always  to  eat  un- 
ground  grain  and  raw  meat,  he  could  never  have  be- 
come the  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  being  he  now 
is,  even  in  the  lowest  forms  of  the  expression  of  these 
god-like  qualities ! 

What  I  bear  down  on  hard  again,  is,  that  it  was 
the  ability  to  choose,  which  man  alone  has,  acting 
by  means  of  his  inventive  powers,  which  were,  in  turn, 
inspired  by  his  desires  and  led  on  by  his  imagination, 
that  makes  progress  for  himself  possible,  that 
brought  a  plus  to  the  race!  And  this  same  power 
has  kept  adding  to  that  increment  of  humanity  as 
time  has  gone  on  through  all  the  years  that  man 
has  lived  in  this  world. 

And  what  has  been  shall  be,  in  oil  the  realms  of 
human  life,  so  long  as  man  is  man! 

(Blow  another  ring  of  smoke,  or  pause  in  your 
knitting,  as  you  think  that  proposition  through!) 

Oh,  yes,  as  you  say,  not  all  dinners  are  like  ours, 
but  that  doesn't  alter  the  main  points  in  my  argu- 
ment. I  have  eaten  many  very  simple  dinners  in 
many  very  humble  homes  where  the  principle  I  am 


64  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

standing  for  was  realized  to  a  supreme  degree.   You 
have  done  the  same. 

The  plus  of  humanity^  in  the  matter  of  physical 
appetite,  is  not  confined  to  any  particular  class  of 
people;  but  the  principle  it  contains  is  as  wide-ex- 
tended as  the  race  itself.  And  again  I  say  that  it  is 
this  quality  that  makes  man  man! 

Of  course,  it  is  true  that  there  are  yet  gluttons  in 
the  world.  Indeed,  I  sometimes  wonder  if  it  is  not 
true  that  the  majority  of  mankind  are  still  best 
pleased  with  what  they  can  eat!  I  guess  it  is  true 
that,  if  all  the  people  in  all  the  world  were  gathered 
together  in  one  place,  and  one  wanted  to  find  some 
one  thing  which  the  greatest  number  of  them  all  were 
best  pleased  with,  all  one  should  have  to  do  would 
be  to  lift  up  a  mighty  voice  and  say:  "OIi,  all  ye 
people  who  are  best  pleased  with  what  you  can  eat, 
step  out  to  the  left!" 

And  what  a  mighty  rushing  to  the  left  there  would 
be! 

But,  grant  all  this  as  true,  that  these  things  are 
still  far  from  what  we  wish  they  were,  and  that 
the  great  majority  of  mankind  would  step  out  to 
the  left  on  a  request  such  as  that  suggested;  still, 
thank  God!  the  whole  human  race  would  not  move 
in  that  direction  if  confronted  with  such  a  chal- 
lenge! There  would  still  be  a  great  multitude  who 
would  stand  where  they  were  under  such  interroga- 
tion! 


The  Plus  of  Humcmity  55 

And  to  those  who  were  left  so  standing,  suppose 
we  should  again  lift  up  a  mighty  voice,  and  say: 
"Oh,  all  ye  people  who  are  best  pleased  with  what 
you  can  see,  step  out!'*  And  again  there  would  be 
a  mighty  rushing  from  the  ranks  of  those  who  re- 
mained after  the  first  call  for  a  division.  We  all 
like  to  "see  things."  Even  a  dog-fight  is  never  with- 
out interested  witnesses !  And  so,  many  would  leave 
the  ranks  who  best  liked  to  see! 

But  not  all  would  go ! 

And  if,  to  those  who  still  remained,  we  should  lift 
up  a  mighty,  voice  again,  and  say:  "Oh,  all  ye 
people  who  are  best  pleased  with  what  you  can  hear, 
step  out !"  There  would  be  a  great  leaving  of  more 
who  had,  so  far,  declined  all  invitations  to  move. 

But  not  all  would  go ! 

There  would  still  be  left  a  goodly  company,  and 
these  would  be  those  who  are  hest  pleased  with  what 
they  can  think! 

Such  an  experience  as  I  have  just  depicted  would 
be  a  self-determined  division  of  humanity  which  would 
be  the  equal  of  "Judgment  Day,"  in  advance,  and 
there  is  no  denying  its  f orcefulness ! 

But  let  us  never  forget  that,  though  all  this  may 
be  true,  the  fact  remains  that  the  progress  of  hu- 
manity is  always  increasing  the  number  of  those 
at  the  small  end  of  this  wedge  of  human  beings — 
that  it  is  forever  augmenting  the  ranks  of  the  think- 
ers from  those  of  the  hearers;  and  those  of  the  hear- 


56  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

ers  from  those  of  the  seers;  and  those  of  the  seers 
from  those  of  the  eaters! 

It  is  these  facts  that  make  life  worth  living.  Let 
us  not  forget  this  wlien  we  are  inclined  to  get  blue 
about  the  status  of  our  fellow  men! 

One  point  more,  and  we  will  be  done  with  the 
plus  of  humanity  as  it  pertains  to  the  physical  appe- 
tite for  food,  which  exists  in  mankind. 

Because  there  are  gluttons,  in  the  world,  because 
there  are  men  and  women  who  will  gorge  themselves 
to  the  extent  of  grossest  greediness  if  they  can  get 
choice  foods  to  do  the  same  withal;  nay,  more,  be- 
cause the  great  majority  of  mankind  are  still  best 
pleased  with  what  they  can  eat,  forsooth — for  these 
reasons,  shall  we  say  that  the  best,  or,  indeed,  the 
only  way  to  remedy  such  condition  is  to  try  to  ex- 
terminate physical  appetite  in  men  and  women,  or  to 
reduce  it  to  its  lowest  terms  of  mere  animality,  to 
merely  tliat  of  keeping  bodies  alive  and  in  condition 
to  breed? 

Because  some  men  and  women  abuse  the  plus  that 
has  been  added  to  humanity  in  the  matter  of  eating 
and  drinking,  shall  we  therefore  strive  to  abolish  this 
increment  altogether?  Because  some  of  the  results 
that  have  come  from  the  gratification  of  human  de- 
sires for  better  food,  as  the  imagination  of  man  and 
his  ingenuity  have  acted  in  response  to  such  ambi- 
tions, and  so  have  modified  crude  fruits  and  grains 
and  raw  meats  to  suit  the  educated  tastes  of  man- 


The  Plus  of  Humcmit^  57 

kind — because  some  of  the  results  are  not  the  best 
that  could  be  desired,  shall  we,  for  these  reasons,  at- 
tempt to  root  out  all  such  desires  in  mankind,  ban  all 
exercise  of  the  imagination  along  these  lines,  and 
legally  forbid  man's  ingenuity  to  devise  or  prepare 
any  meats  and  drinks  other  than  such  as  brutes  par- 
take of? 

Must  cook-books  be  suppressed  by  law,  and  must 
those  who  make  them  or  sell  them  be  put  in  prison, 
because  there  are  men  and  women  who  will  eat  till 
they  die  of  apoplexy  if  the  viands  which  these  books 
give  recipes  for  are  placed  within  their  reach? 

But  let  us  not  anticipate!  We  shall  see  more  of 
this  phase  of  the  subject  later  on,  and  at  much  closer 
range,  and  then  it  will  mean  much  more  than  it  does 
here  and  now.  Meantime,  while  we  wait,  this  is  as 
good  a  place  as  any  to  consider  a  wholesale  prin- 
ciple of  life  which  has  been  claimed  by  many  to  apply, 
not  only  to  man's  physical  appetite  for  food,  but  to 
other  functions  of  the  human  body,  as  follows: 

Frankly  and  impartially  stated,  the  very  heart  of 
this  principle  is  seated  in  a  view  of  the  human  body 
which  held  that  it  is  by  nature  vile  and  altogether 
contemptible  in  all  its  parts  and  passions.  Accord- 
ing to  this  mode  of  reckoning,  it  was  believed  that 
our  bodies  were  "conceived  in  sin  and  bom  in  in- 
iquity," and  the  theory  was  that,  as  they  began,  so 
they  continued  to  grow  till  death  put  an  end  to  their 
naturally  perverted  and  altogether  wicked  existence ! 


68  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Under  such  conditions,  the  believer  in  this  doctrine 
held  that  the  chief  purpose  in  life,  if  one  desired  to 
become  what  one  ought  to  be,  was  to  "mortify  the 
flesh"  and  to  inhibit  all  the  natural  desires  of  the 
body,  because  they  were,  in  and  of  themselves,  sinfuly 
and  tended  to  drag  down,  if  not  ultimately  damn 
human  souls,  irrevocably. 

Such  views  of  the  human  body  have  been  held  by 
nearly  all  peoples,  and  in  nearly  all  times,  but  they 
assumed  the  most  pronounced  form  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  development  of  the  Christian  religion ; 
and  the  results  of  such  teachings  and  practises  in 
this  particular  religious  sect  have  affected  a  large- 
percentage  of  the  beliefs  and  modes  of  living  of  the 
civilizeB  Christian  world,  even  to  this  day. 

There  is  no  need  of  going  into  details,  for  such  are 
not  only  matters  of  history  which  are  known  and 
read  of  all  intelligent  men  and  women,  but  we  are, 
all  of  us,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  living  witnesses 
of  the  influence  of  such  beliefs  regarding  the  human 
body.  This  is  specially  true  of  all  that  has  to  do 
with  what  is  counted  as  "good  morality"  in  the  civil- 
ized world;  and  if  one  pushes  the  point  far  enougli, 
the  principle  will  be  found  to  be  embodied  in  many 
of  the  affairs  of  life  where  a  superficial  glance  would 
not  detect  its  presence. 

But  in  the  light  of  more  generous  views  of,  and 
more  scientific  knowledge  regarding  the  bodies  in 
which  we  live,  move  and  have  our  being,  honest  inter- 


The  Plus  of  Humanity  .         59 

rogation  marks  are  being  set  up  over  against  the 
ascetic  and  Puritanic  beliefs  of  former  days,  and 
these  challenge  the  truthfulness  of  many,  not  to  say 
most,  of  what  were  once  regarded  as  beyond  contro- 
versy in  these  matters.  More  and  more,  thoughtful 
men  and  women  are  coming  to  realize  that  the  human 
body  is  God-made  and  sacred  within  and  without, 
and  to  hold  with  the  Good  Gray  Poet,  when  he  says : 
"Clear  and  clean  is  my  soul;  and  clear  and  clean  is 
my  body,  and  every  part  of  the  same;  and  no  part 
shall  be  condemned,  nor  shall  any  be  preferred  be- 
fore the  rest." 

It  is  such  views  of  human  life  and  of  human  bodies 
and  their  functionings  which  make  a  place  for  the 
out-workings  of  "the  plus  of  humanity"  along  the 
lines  of  the  normal  development  of  this  part  of  man's 
being ;  and  the  doctrine  that  it  is  a  sin  to  give  expres- 
sion to  this  plus,  nay,  to  cultivate  its  reasonable  ful- 
fillment, is  being  relegated  to  the  grave-yard  of  other 
dead  things  which  have  come  down  to  the  present 
from  the  days  of  ignorance  and  superstition. 

According  to  this  newly-developed  philosophy,  it 
was  not  a  sin  for  you  to  sit  at  meat  with  us  as  you 
did,  nor  for  our  table  to  be  what  it  was,  nor  for  all 
the  plus  of  our  natures  to  find  expression  as  it  did 
during  dinner.  We  were  within  the  bounds  of  right 
living  to  do  as  we  did;  and  for  us  all,  being  what 
we  are,  it  would  have  been  a  sin  for  us  to  wipe  out 
all  the  accessories  which  we  utilized,  both  for  sus- 


60  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

tainmg  our  bodies  with  food  that  pleased  our  palates 
and  for  feeding  our  higher  faculties  with  mental  and 
spiritual  pabulum  that  the  brutes  know  not  of.  Made 
as  we  are,  it  would  be  wicked  for  us  to  live  on  raw 
meat  and  unground  grain,  fed  into  our  mouths  with 
fingers  and  thumbs!  Who  that  is  sane  can  deny 
this? 

And  the  most  significant  factor  in  all  this,  so  far 
as  any  ultimate  conclusion  is  concerned,  is  the  fact 
that  there  are  two  modes  of  expression,  in  the  matter 
of  physical  appetite  for  food  as  it  exists  in  human 
beings,  while  there  is  only  one  mode  of  expression  for 
this  possession  as  it  exists  in  mere  animals!  With 
the  latter,  the  sole  function  of  this  quality  is  bodily 
sustenance,  merely.  In  mankind  it  is  all  of  this; 
and,  beyond  that,  the  building  up  of  the  plus  of 
humanity.  Furtliermore,  the  exercise  of  both  these 
functions,  as  they  exist  in  mankind,  is  a  matter  of 
clwice,  within  the  control  of  the  wilU  a  factor  which 
does  not  appear,  in  any  perceptible  degree,  in  any 
order  of  life  below  man.  This  fact  makes  it  impos- 
sible to  draw  any  trutliful  analogies  between  man  and 
the  lower  animals,  so  far  as  life  on  these  planes  is 
concerned,  as  I  have  more  than  once  declared.  It 
may  still  be  feasible  to  compare  some  of  the  minor 
functionings  of  the  human  body  with  the  same,  or 
similar,  phenomena  in  lower  orders  of  life,  though 
even  this  has  its  limitations;  but  in  all  cases  where 
choice  and  the  human  will  are  in  evidence — here  all 


The  Plus  of  Hiimamty  61 

such  comparisons  are  practically  impossible,  so  far 
as  correct  conclusions  derived  therefrom  are  con- 
cerned. 

So,  here  endeth  the  lesson  as  it  pertains  to  the 
plus  of  humanity,  which  has  to  do  with  physical 
appetite  in  mankind.  I  have  shown  that  there  has 
been  a  progress  in  this  part  of  man's  experiences, 
from  the  primitive  man  up  to  our  table,  and  yours 
as  well;  and  that  all  of  such  advance  has  come  to 
me  and  to  you,  whoever  you  are,  at  the  hands  of 
the  power  of  choice,  as  it  exists  in  all  mankind,  rather 
than  by  the  ways  of  chance,  or  of  outside  dictation 
(that  is,  by  instinct,  merely)  which  method  obtains 
in  all  life-forms  below  man;  that  all  this  progress 
manifests  itself  in  two  ways  in  the  human  family; 
and  that,  therefore,  analogies  between  such  forms  of 
life  and  all  forms  below  it  are  fallacious  and  of  no 
value  whatever. 

Desire,  imagination,  human  ingenuity!  Keep  these 
three  means  of  human  progress  in  mind  as  we  move 
on.  And  never  for  one  moment  forget  that  these 
are  all  grounded  in  choice  rather  than  in  chance! 

In  all  forms  of  life  below  man,  physical  appetite 
serves  only  the  simple  purpose  of  constructively 
maintaining  the  material  existence  of  the  beings  in 
which  it  exists.  In  mankind,  this  quality  still  per- 
sists in  its  original  purpose  and  mode  of  expression, 
but  it  takes  on  an  added  quality,  which  is  of  an 
esthetical  or  spiritual  nature,  whose  end  and  aim  it 


62  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

is  to  upbuild  the  plus  of  humanity  and  develop  the 
same  in  all  its  varied  possibilities.  That  is,  physical 
appetite  for  food,  as  it  lives  in  human  beings  is, 
first  materially  constructive;  and,  second,  esthetic- 
ally  and  spirittuilly  upbuilding  in  its  results.  And 
this  means  more  than  can  be  comprehended  at  a  sin- 
gle sitting  with  the  thought ! 


CHAPTER  V 

FURTHER    STUDIES    OF    THE    PLUS    OF    HUMANITY 

Having  studied  the  plus  of  humanity  as  it  is  ex- 
hibited in  physical  appetite  for  food,  let  us  now  go 
on  a  little  further  and  see  how  this  same  principle, 
the  added  something,  applies  to  some  other  qualities 
which  we  share  with  the  life-forms  below  us. 

Take  the  sense  of  eye-sight  and  compare  its  func- 
tion, as  it  expresses  itself  in  beasts  and  men,  and 
note  the  plus  that  there  is  in  this  particular. 

If  we  go  back  to  the  most  primitive  form  of  an 
eye,  we  find  that  it  first  shows  signs  of  existence  in 
the  protozoa,  where  it  appears  in  what  is  known 
as  a  "pigment  spot,"  that  is,  as  a  tiny  part  of  the 
body  of  such  life-form,  which  is  sensitive  to  light. 
Just  what  service  is  thus  rendered  to  the  body  on 
which  this  "spot"  appears,  no  one  has  as  yet  been 
able  to  determine ;  but  that  it  is  there,  and  that  it  is 
the  primary  form  of  what  finally  becomes  a  human 
eye,  as  it  climbs  on  and  up  the  various  stages  of 
its  evolution,  of  this  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt. 

And  now  trace,  for  a  little,  the  function  of  the  eye 
and  what  it  brings  to  its  possessor,  as  it  rises  in  the 

63 


64  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

scale  of  organized  life-forms !  As  I  have  already 
said,  in  the  lowest  forms  of  life  its  mission  is  so 
slight  that  it  is  indeterminable.  But  gradually  its 
utility  grows,  until,  in  a  large  part  of  animal  life 
it  serves  a  number  of  most  valuable  purposes. 
Summed  up,  its  usefulness  in  most  life-forms  below 
man,  is  to  show  its  possessors  where  to  find  food,  and 
to  keep  them  from  dangers  that  may  threaten  their 
lives.  All  mere  animals  may  be  said  to  find  their 
sustenance  and  to  be  kept  out  of  harm's  way  by 
means  of  their  eyesight. 

But  when  we  have  said  so  much  we  have  said  all 
that  can  possibly  be  said  with  regard  to  the  func- 
tion of  eyesight  as  it  pertains  to  mere  animal  lifeS' 
There  is  absolutely  nothing  beyond  food  supply  and 
preservation  from  physical  harm  and  perhaps  death, 
received  at  the  hands  of  eyesight,  in  any  life-form 
below  man !  Think  of  that  a  full  minute  by  the  clock 
before  you  read  on ! 

But  when  we  come  to  man,  see  what  a  range 
eyesight  has  in  him!  In  this  realm  there  is  almost 
no  limit  to  what  it  may  do  for  its  possessor ! 

To  be  sure,  it  is  still  a  means  of  showing  man 
where  and  how  to  get  his  food,  and  of  keeping  him 
out  of  harm's  way,  just  as  in  the  life-forms  below 
him ;  but,  oh,  how  small  a  part  of  the  mission  of  eye- 
sight in  humanity  this  is !  Think  of  that  a  moment ! 
And  here  are  some  of  the  things  you  will  think: 

Perhaps,  first  of  all,  there  is  the  influence  that 


Further  Studies  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity      65 

comes  to  man  from  seeing  the  things  in  nature  that 
mean  more  to  him  than  they  can  possibly  mean  to 
any  form  of  Hfe  below  him.  What  do  you  suppose 
a  sunset  ever  means  to  a  cow  or  a  dog?  Yet  cows  and 
dogs  have  eyes — eyes  which  in  some  respects  are 
better  than  human  eyes,  viewed  from  a  mere  mechan- 
ical standpoint. 

And  then  think  of  how  much  a  human  being  can 
get  out  of  pictures!  Mere  animals  can  get  nothing 
— absolutely  nothing — from  pictures !  But  men  and 
women  can  get  ever  so  much  out  of  pictures!  And 
whatever  they  get  out  of  pictures  is  just  so  much 
*'plus  of  humanity^'  on  the  eyesight  basis! 

And  then  think  of  what  we  get  out  of  reading! 
Reading  is  made  possible  through  the  use  of  the  eye. 
All  letters,  all  literature,  have  come  at  the  bidding 
of  possibilities  that  were  opened  up  by  the  fact  of 
the  existence  of  the  human  eye. 

Think  of  the  plus  that  has  come  to  humanity  at 
the  hands  of  reading,  and  then  see  what  this  added 
quality  means  to  mankind!  The  measure  of  this 
increment  to  human  development  and  possession  is 
absolutely  without  bounds. 

And  sailors  sail  the  sea  by  virtue  of  eyesight.  If 
Columbus  had  been  born  without  eyes  he  would  never 
have  discovered  America.  If  Titian  had  been  unable 
to  see,  the  world  would  never  have  known  his  divine 
work  upon  canvas.  If  eyes  could  never  have  read. 
Homer,   and  Virgil,   and  Dante,   and   Shakespeare^ 


66  Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

and  Milton,  and  Dickens,  and  Thackeray,  and  ^Vhit- 
man,  and  Emerson,  and  Thoreau,  and  Riley,  and 
Mark  Twain,  and  thousands  of  others  could  never 
have  been  what  they  were,  could  never  have  exercised 
an  influence  upon  mankind,  in  any  way  whatsoever. 

If  men  could  not  see^  newspapers  and  magazines 
would  be  impossible ;  no  trains  could  run ;  no  fabrics 
could  be  woven ;  no  wires  could  be  strung ;  no  machin- 
ery could  be  made  or  operated ;  no  pictures  could  be 
painted ;  no  photographs  could  be  taken ;  no  movies 
could  be  produced;  no  stars  could  be  seen,  and  no 
inferences  could  be  drawn  from  their  existence  in  the 
firmament;  no  faces  could  be  looked  into,  and  the 
"love-light  in  the  eye"  would  never  be  possible;  the 
mother's  look  of  rapture  as  she  gazes  on  her  child 
could  never  be ;  the  untold  meanings  of  the  exchange 
of  glances  between  lovers  would  be  impossible;  and 
even  a  dim  comprehension  of  "the  light  that  never 
was  on  land  or  sea"  would  be  an  utter  impossibility 
without  the  experiences  that  have  come  to  man 
through  the  exercise  of  e^'csight ! 

Now,  you  who  read  what  is  here  written,  put  all 
these  things  just  enumerated  together,  and  as  many 
more  as  your  own  sense  can  supply,  and  let  your 
imagination  raise  the  sum  total  to  the  nth  degree, 
and  then  you  will  have  at  least  some  comprehension 
of  the  ^^plus  of  humanity^*  that  has  come  to  man 
through  the  medium  of  the  human  eye!  You  will 
then  understand  that  the  eye,  as  men  can  use  it, 


Further  Studies  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity      67 

yields  up  returns  that  are  far  greater  and  infinitely 
above  anything  that  any  mere  animal  eyes  can  ever 
produce.  The  mere  items  of  seeing  wliere  food  is, 
and  of  keeping  one  out  of  the  ditch,  have  dwindled 
to  nothingness  when  compared  with  all  these  plusses 
that  man  has  acquired  because  of  his  ability  to  see. 

Just  animals  can  see ;  but  man  can  see  more  than 
mere  material  things  whose  limit  of  utility  is  to  keep 
bodies  in  their  proper  places !  His  sight  penetrates 
beyond  eyesight,  and  into  the  vast  beyond;  and  all 
that  he  sees  beyond  mere  materiality  is  what  makes 
up  the  plurS  of  humanity,  so  far  as  seeing  is  con- 
cerned. 

And  note,  too,  that,  just  as  the  physical  appetite 
for  food  has  two  modes  of  expression  in  the  human 
family,  namely,  the  materially-constructive  and  the 
esthetically-upbuilding ;  in  a  similar  manner,  eyesight 
in  mankind  serves  a  double  purpose,  the  first  of  which 
is  physically-preservative  merely,  and  the  second 
esthetically-developing.  And  this  is  another  item 
whose  full  force  cannot  be  defined  at  a  single  sitting 
with  the  thought. 

Once  more,  let  us  take  up  and  consider  the  sense 
of  hearing  and  note  what  a  plus  of  humanity  there 
is  in  the  exercise  of  this  faculty  which  man  has  in 
common  with  the  life  which  is  below  him. 

I  need  not  go  into  details  at  any  length  here.  If 
you  will  shut  your  eyes  and  listen,  you  will  know  more 
than  I  or  any  could  suggest  or  say!     Think  of  the 


68  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

ocean's  roar,  the  sighing  of  the  night-winds,  the 
songs  of  birds  and  hum  of  bees,  the  laughter  of  chil- 
dren, the  whisper  of  love,  the  prayer  of  a  child,  the 
orator's  eloquence,  the  prima  donna's  trills,  the  moth- 
er's lullaby,  the  violin's  sweet  strains,  the  diapason 
of  the  organ,  the  voice  of  great  crowds  as  they  sing 
or  cheer  together — think  of  these  sounds  that  come 
to  you  through  your  ears,  and  then  remember  what 
they  mean,  when  measured  by  the  standard  of  the 
plus  of  humanity! 

Nor  need  one  think  of  sweet  sounds  only  in  sum- 
ming up  the  total  all  that  comes  to  man  through 
liearing.  Even  wails  of  woe  and  suffering  react  on 
man  and  make  him  kindlier,  gentler,  than  before; 
and  battle  cries,  and  maniac  yells,  and  drunkards' 
maudlin  talk — yea,  oaths  and  curses,  and  dying 
moans,  all  may  be  used  as  a  means  for  building  up 
the  life  of  man  in  the  economy  of  human  growth. 

But  none  of  these  can  ever  come  to  mere  beasts ! 
Ears  have  they,  but  they  hear  not,  as  man's  ears 
hear!  No  thrill  of  thankfulness  comes  to  such  when 
they  are  conscious  of 

**That  blessedest,  best  sound 
That  ever  greeted  human  ear — 
The  boat-keels  grating  on  the  shore!" 

Beethoven's  Fifth  Symphony  is  to  these  like  any 
other  noise !    No  "concord  of  sweet  sounds"  can  stir 


Further  Studies  of  the  Plus  of  Hwmanity      69 

emotions  in  the  breasts  of  beasts  and  birds,  much 
less  in  flowers  and  trees,  and  lesser  still  in  stones  and 
mud! 

But  these  suggestions  need  not  be  too  extended. 
We  all  know  what  and  how  they  are.  And  we  all 
know,  too,  if  we  stop  to  think  about  it,  that  all  these 
significant  sounds,  and  all  they  signify  together  with 
all  the  feelings  and  emotions  they  arouse,  make  up 
the  plus  of  humanity  as  it  exists  through  what  man- 
kind can  hear,  but  which  no  form  of  life  below  him 
can  ever  be  conscious  of,  at  least  not  to  the  extent 
of  reacting  therefrom! 

Having  pointed  out  these  plusses  that  come  to 
humanity  by  means  of  eyes  and  ears,  let  us  go  on 
with  some  conclusions  that"  follow,  as  we  did  when 
studying  physical  appetite  for  food  in  man.  In 
that  case,  we  saw  how  the  desire  of  man  for  better 
food  stimulated  his  imagination^  which  in  turn  acted 
upon  his  ingenuity,  and  as  a  result  of  all  these  potent 
forces  working,  each  after  each,  all  the  progress  in 
human  eating  and  drinking,  and  all  that  goes  with 
the  exercise  of  these  qualities  was  realized. 

By  exactly  the  same  process  has  the  plus  of  hu- 
manity been  exploited  in  the  matter  of  eyesight.  The 
desire  of  man  set  him  longing  to  see  more  than  animal 
eyes  could  see.  His  imagination  took  up  such  de- 
sires and  elaborated  them,  and  dreamed  what  things 
might  be  in  these  regards ;  and  then  man's  ingenuity 


70  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

responded  to  what  imagination  had  pictured  as  pos- 
sible, and  from  these  sources  have  come  all  the  even- 
tualities that  now  delight  the  eye  of  man ! 

And  what  is  true  of  the  pliLs  of  humanity  pertain- 
ing to  eyesight,  is  equally  true  regarding  what  desire 
and  imagination  and  ingenuity  have  wrought  out  for 
men  and  women  in  the  realm  of  sound,  of  tone,  and 
all  the  arts  that  are  based  upon  capabilities  of  the 
human  ear! 

These  three  factors  which  make  for  human  prog- 
ress, namely,  desire y  imagination  and  ingenuity;  this 
trinity  of  forces,  has  made  a  plus  of  humanity  which 
is  so  much  beyond  all  the  attainments  of  mere  ani- 
mality  that  these  latter  must  be  counted  as  of  little 
corresponding  worth!  That  is,  the  additions  that 
have  been  made  to  the  original  possessions  of  man- 
kind far  exceed  in  value  the  qualities  they  were  added 
to!  Think  of  that,  more  than  once,  for  it  is  some- 
thing we  shall  come  back  to  most  tellingly  at  the 
proper  time,  and  in  the  proper  place ! 

Once  more :  Think,  please,  of  the  help  to  eyes  and 
ears  that  has  come  to  mankind  at  the  hands  of  human 
desire  and  imagination  and  ingenuity!  How  you 
start,  not  to  say  rebound  from  the  rush  of  thought 
that  comes  to  you  at  the  mere  suggestion  of  such 
helps  as  have  come  to  the  human  race  from  this 
source,  as  they  have  been  applied  to  the  plus  of  hu- 
manity! I  need  not  enumerate  these  helps  to  any 
length,  for  they  will  march  before  you  in  an  endless 


Further  Stitdies  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity      71 

procession  if  only  you  will  follow  your  own  thoughts 
regarding  them.  But  here  are  a  few  of  these  aids 
to  eyes  and  ears,  which  have  revealed  secrets  that 
would  have  forever  remained  hidden  from  human  ken 
but  for  such  assistance;  have  made  an  open  book 
out  of  what  would  otherwise  have  been  an  everlast- 
ingly sealed  volume ;  have  let  clear  daylight  in  where 
once  all  was  darkness  and  the  unknown ! 

In  this  list  of  eye-helpers,  here  are  the  glasses 
astride  my  nose,  which  make  my  old  eyes  as  good  as 
new  again,  as  strong  and  clear  as  they  ever  were, 
and  without  which  I  could  not  write  a  single  one  of 
the  words  you  are  now  reading.  And  my  doctor 
looked  clear  through  me,  even  into  the  innermost 
parts  of  my  being,  a  few  days  ago,  with  the  help  of 
an  X-ray  light ;  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  micro- 
scope  I  have  seen  what  was  totally  invisible  to  my 
naked  eye.  And  I  once  "saw  stars"  through  a  great 
telescope,  till  the  multitude  and  the  magnitude  of 
them  struck  me  dumb  from  amazement,  and  stunned 
me  more  completely  than  would  a  blow  on  my  head 
with  a  hammer ! 

I  need  not  go  on  with  this  eye-helper  list,  though 
what  I  have  given  is  only  a  portion  of  what  might  be 
enumerated. 

And  then,  think  of  the  ear-helpers.  They  include 
all  the  "phones"  of  all  sorts  and  descriptions  what- 
soever. All  "phones"  are  ear-helpers  as  all  the 
"scopes"  are  eye-helpers. 


*tft  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

By  one  of  these  ear-helpers  I  talked  with  a  man, 
an  hour  ago,  and  the  chairs  we  sat  on  as  we  spoke 
together  were  two  thousand  miles  apart!  Our  ears 
were  "helped"  to  that  extent! 

And  you  are  not  in  the  least  surprised  as  I  tell  you 
this,  for  you  have  done  similar  things  more  than 
once — yes,  an  uncounted  number  of  times ;  not  quite 
so  pronounced,  perhaps,  but  practically  the  same  ex- 
perience. And  so  your  ears  were  helped,  as  mine 
were,  and  as  everybody's  may  be!  Think  of  that  even 
to  the  limit  of  what  it  m^ans,  with  th-e  accent  on 
EVERYBODY! 

To  make  a  climax  of  this  thought,  call  to  mind 
all  the  "scope"  words,  and  the  "phone"  words,  and 
the  "graph"  words  that  the  dictionary  contains,  and 
then  remember  that  all  these  words  connote  some 
help  to  eye  or  ear,  that  has  come  to  mankind  on  the 
plus  side  of  his  make-up,  not  by  chance,  but  rather  as 
a  result  of  choice,  and  then  you  will  have  some  idea 
of  what  the  desire  of  man,  and  his  imagination  and 
his  ingenuity  have  wrought  out  for  the  progress  and 
betterment  of  the  race — for  increasing  the  sum  total 
of  the  plus  of  humanity  on  its  eye  and  ear  side. 

And  when  you  have  realized  something  of  what 
and  how  much  all  this  means,  will  you  call  to  mind 
the  words  I  quoted  many  pages  back,  words  which 
were  written  by  a  body  of  learned  doctors,  and  which 
were:  "We  must  uphold  the  laws  of  nature  against 
man*s  meddling!"     But  let  us  not  anticipate! 


Further  Studies  of  the  Plus  of  Hurrianity      73 

Still,  I  must  ask,  just  here,  if  the  helping  of  human 
faculties  to  realize  possibilities  which  they  could  not 
otherwise  attain  to — if  this  is  "meddling  with  na- 
ture's laws?"     But  more  of  this  later. 

And  it  is  worthy  of  special  mention,  that,  as  re- 
gards the  two-fold  manner  of  expression  of  all  the 
qualities  that  mankind  possesses  in  common  with  low- 
er orders  of  life,  the  second  method  far  exceeds  the 
first  in  promoting  the  progress  of  humanity!  It  is 
in  the  exercise  of  what  belongs  to  the  plus  of  human- 
ity in  physical  appetite  for  food,  in  eyesight  and  in 
hearing,  that  growth  and  development  in  human  be- 
ings find  their  greatest  stimulus  to  become  more  and 
more.  That  is,  the  animality  of  what  we  possess  in 
common  with  lower  life-forms  is  the  lesser  half  of 
such  belongings,  so  far  as  the  results  which  come 
from  their  expression  are  concerned ;  and  the  higher 
man  ascends  in  the  scale  of  spiritual  life,  the  smaller 
and  of  less  value  becomes  the  animality  that  is  still 
a  fundamental  part  of  his  make-up.  It  is  equally 
true  that,  as  the  material  part  of  man  grows  less 
and  less,  the  plu^s  that  has  grown  out  of  it,  and 
which  is  still  seated  in  it,  becomes  more  and  more  su- 
preme both  in  force  and  in  intrinsic  value. 

This  is  a  principle  which  holds  good  with  regard 
to  all  the  qualities  and  characteristics  which  man  has 
in  common  with  mere  animal  life,    Verbum  sat! 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  THREE  TS 


The  three  I's  which  I  am  going  to  consider  in  this 
chapter  are  Instinct,  Impulse  and  Intuition,  and  I 
take  up  their  special  study,  just  here,  because  definite 
thinking  regarding  them  is  essential  to  the  further, 
and  especially  the  final  conclusions  which  I  am  aim- 
ing at. 

In  defining  these  words,  and  in  the  applications  I 
make  of  them  as  they  stand  related  to  my  theme, 
I  may  differ  somewhat  from  current  ideas  as  to 
what  these  several  combinations  of  vowels  and  con- 
sonants stand  for;  but  I  shall  try  to  make  my  own 
conception  of  their  significance  clear,  and  shall  be 
equally  explicit  in  the  use  to  which  I  put  their  mean- 
ings; and  hence  there  will  be  no  danger  of  misun- 
derstanding in  what  I  have  to  say — which  is  really 
the  main  thing. 

All  these  powers,  or  qualities  which  are  indicated 
by  these  three  words,  have  much  to  do  with,  or  are 
greatly  involved  in,  the  outworkings  of  the  life-force, 
as  it  expresses  itself  in  time  and  space.  What  I  wish 
to  point  out  is  something  of  the  nature  of  each,  of 

74 


The  Three  Fs  75 

the  mission  of  each,  and  of  the  purpose  that  each 
serves  in  the  different  and  varied  organisms,  or  life- 
forms,  which  each  has  to  do  with  in  this  world. 

Instinct:  I  speak  of  mstmct  first  because  it  is  the 
most  primary  of  all  these  qualities,  and  it  exercises 
an  influence  upon  a  greater  number  of  life-forms, 
both  as  to  multitude  and  variety,  than  do  either  of 
the  others. 

In  speaking  of  what  is  included  in  this  word,  m- 
stmcty  I  want  to  confine  its  meaning  to  a  somewhat 
narrower  range  than  that  given  it  by  some  others. 
Indeed,  the  dictionaries  give  it  a  wider  meaning  than 
it  seems  to  me  it  is  rightly  entitled  to  when  they 
make  it  a  synonym  for  "intellect"  and  "intelligence," 
My  own  belief  is  that  instinct,  per  se,  has  very  little, 
if  anything,  in  common  with  either  intellect  or  intel- 
ligence,  when  we  come  to  the  exact  meaning  of  these 
words.  And  here  is  what  makes  me  hold  to  such 
opinion : 

Some  wise  Hindoo  philosopher  has  defined  instinct 
in  a  way  that  better  describes  its  real  significance 
than  I  have  ever  seen  elsewhere  expressed.  He  says : 
"Instinct  is  the  totality  of  life's  efforts  to  preserve 
itself  in  material  form."  The  point  I  call  particular 
attention  to  in  this  definition  is,  that  it  confines  the 
actions  and  influences  of  instinct  entirely  to  the  ma- 
terial plane,  dealing  only  with  material  means,  and 
producing  only  material  results.    This  is  an  item  of 


76  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

the  utmost  significance  in  the  subject  we  are  now 
studying. 

Pcrliaps  it  may  tend  to  make  this  quality  stand 
out  more  clearly  in  its  real  nature,  to  say  that  it 
is  no  integral  part  of  the  life-form  which  it  inhabits, 
so  to  speak.  That  is,  it  is  in,  but  not  of  the  organ- 
ism upon  which  it  acts.  It  is  in  tliis  essential  respect 
that  it  differs  from  impulse  and  intuition,  as  I  shall 
presently  show. 

The  chief  characteristics  of  instinct  are  that  it 
compels  the  acts  which  it  originates,  and  that  all 
the  deeds  that  are  done  at  its  bidding  are  enacted 
according  to  a  must  and  not  to  a  may  or  can. 
That  is,  the  element  of  clwice,  which,  you  will  re- 
member, is  the  chief  item  I  am  talking  about,  has 
nothing  in  common  with  instinct! 

Let  us  illustrate:  Birds  build  their  nests  by  in- 
stinct. But  they  liave  no  choice  in  their  way  and 
manner  of  building!  Indeed,  it  is  even  doubtful  if 
they  even  choose  a  place  or  a  spot  for  locating  their 
nests.  The  probabilities  are  that  the  same  power 
that  enables  them  to  build  their  nests,  directs  them 
where  to  place  them  to  best  suit  the  purpose  they 
are  to  serve.  Where  this  power  comes  from,  and  how 
it  is  hitched  up  to  tlie  organisms  which  utilize  it  are 
not  any  part  of  this  discussion.  I  am  studying 
what  it  does,  and  how  it  does  it,  and  not  whence  it 
came  or  whither  it  goes ! 

I  say  birds  build  their  nests  by  instinct,  and  it  is 


The  Three  Vs  77 

a  curious  fact  that  they  do  this  just  as  well  the  first 
time  as  the  last.  And  they  never  have  to  be  taught 
how  to  do  the  work,  in  either  case !  True,  different 
kinds  of  birds  build  different  sorts  of  nests;  but 
each  kind  builds  its  particular  nest  in  the  same 
way,  ever  and  always.  Later  generations  make  no 
improvements  upon  the  earlier  forms  which  their  an- 
cestors constructed,  but  over  and  oyer,  the  same 
thing  in  the  same  way — this  is  always  the  manner 
of  work  that  is  done  at  the  bidding  or  command  of 
instinct. 

That  is,  instinct  makes  no  progress,  either  in  the 
work  that  is  done  at  its  bidding,  or  in  the  life-forms 
that  do  that  work.  It  acts  upon,  or  through,  a 
life-form,  and  produces  results  which  are  of  service 
to  the  form  it  controls ;  but  that  form  has  no  power 
other  than  to  follow  its  dictates,  to  obey  its  abso- 
lute commands. 

All  of  which  means  that  creatures  of  instinct  are 
guided  by  an  intelligence  which  does  not  originate 
in,  or  emanate  from,  the  form  which  gives  it  expres- 
sion. The  point  I  want  to  bear  down  on,  and  to 
have  you  be  sure  to  keep  in  mind  is,  that  creatures 
which  are  guided  by  instinct  are  not  creatures  of 
choice,  in  so  far  as  their  acts  are  instvnctive.  That 
is,  as  I  have  said  before,  instinct  and  choice  have  no 
common  factor.  Instinct  is  grounded  in  must,  it 
knows  nothing  of  may  or  can. 

Impulse:     The   derivation   of   the   word   impulse 


78  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

gives  the  key  to  its  essential  meaning,  and  furnishes 
a  hint  as  to  how  it  differs  from  instinct.  If  you  will 
think  of  the  word  impel  which  has  the  same  root  as 
the  word  impulse,  you  may  be  helped  to  catch  its 
true  significance.  In  both  these  words  there  is  the 
idea  of  throwing,  or  pushing,  of  movement  or  mo- 
tion which  may  be  resisted,  or  may  be  let  run ! 

And  now  notice  the  something  which  appears  in 
such  condition  which  has  no  place  in  the  case  of 
instinct.  When  one  is  moved  to  action  by  instinct, 
he  must  do  as  he  does ;  but  when  one  is  impelled  to 
do  this  or  that,  he  may  do  it  or  not,  as  he  chooses! 
And  there  is  all  the  difference  in  the  world  between 
these  two  conditionings!  The  one  introduces  the 
possibility  of  exercising  the  power  of  choice.  The 
other  knows  nothing  of  such  factor  as  a  determining 
force  resulting  in  action. 

And  right  in  there  is  where  the  infinite  difference 
between  man  and  the  animals  below  him  obtains ! 
Animals  are  creatures  of  instinct  alon^.  Man  is  a 
creature  of  instinct ^  in  some  respects;  that  is,  to  a 
degree,  in  the  part  of  himself  which  is  merely  ani- 
mal; and  here  it  has  to  do  only  with  the  material 
part  of  man,  and  never  rises  into  the  plane  of  his 
mental  and  spiritual  being,  in  its  activities;  and 
hence,  so  far  as  the  plus  in  man  is  concerned, 
with  this^  instinct  has  little  or  nothing  whatever  to 
do !    Drive  a  peg  there ! 

Again:     Nothing  that  is  done  at  the  bidding  of 


The  Three  Fs  79 

instmct,  merelt/,  ever  results  in  character!  And 
there  is  another  wonderful  thing  to  think  about! 
Character  is  built  up  by  the  exercise  of  the  power 
of  choice.  Animals  cannot  choose,  and  so  they  have 
no  characters — that  is,  they  are  not  possessed  of  an 
individual  something  of  their  own,  which  they  have 
acquired  from  an  expenditure  of  energy  which  they 
put  forth  by  means  of  their  own  wiU.  But  man  can 
choose.  He  can  follow  an  impulse  or  he  can  reject 
it.  And  it  is  by  his  decisions  as  to  which  of  these  he 
will  do  that  he  builds  himself  a  character. 

Now,  character  can  only  be  built  out  of  the  stuff 
that  is  included  in  the  plus  of  humanity.  It  can 
never  be  formed  out  of  mere  materiality,  or  by  any 
action  of  that  which  works  in  the  realm  of  the  ma- 
terial alone.  All  there  is  in  man  which  is  below  the 
line  of  that  plus,  and  which  is  ruled  by  instinct 
alone,  can  never  result  in  character. 

True,  as  has  just  been  said,  man  has  in  him,  in 
some  degree,  that  which  is  instinctive !  He  has  come 
up  through  the  life-forms  below  him,  and  much  of 
what  they  were  made  of  still  sticks  to  him.  But  the 
material  part  of  man  is  one  thing,  and  the  mental 
and  spiritual  part  is  another,  and  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent thing. 

All  mankind  begins  life  in  the  realm  of  vnstvnci. 
The  baby  does  not  have  to  be  taught  to  suck  milk 
from  its  mother  any  more  than  a  kitten  or  a  calf 
does.     And  so  it  gains  no  character  from  its  suck- 


80  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

ing!  It  simply  responds  to  a  physical  appetite  for 
food,  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms,  namely,  to  keep 
itself  alive,  and  instinct  compels  it  to  yield  to  its 
dictates  in  this  regard.  That  is,  at  this  stage  of 
man's  being,  life's  efforts  are  solely  to  maintain  it- 
self in  material  form.  In  other  words,  all  human 
beings  begin  life  on  the  animal  plane! 

But  as  the  child  grows  and  begins  to  yield  to, 
or  reject  its  impulses  which  its  desires  suggest,  its 
imagination  pictures  and  its  ingenuity  makes  pos- 
sible of  realization,  that  is,  as  he  chooses  in  these 
matters  by  an  exercise  of  his  will,  by  such  acts  he 
forms  an  individuality,  a  personality,  a  character 
which  is  all  his  own,  and  which  no  mere  animal  can 
ever  attain  to.  And  all  of  this  is  wrought  out  on 
the  plane  of  the  plus  of  humanity! 

I  hope  I  have  made  a  clear  distinction  between 
the  meanings  of  the  words  instinct  and  impulse  as 
I  shall  use  them  later  on  in  this  discussion.  I  have 
been  obliged  to  define  them  as  carefully  as  I  have, 
because  of  the  loose  way  in  which  these  words  are 
used,  even  in  the  best  of  good  circles.  For  instance, 
in  one  of  the  best  of  English  dictionaries,  I  find 
this :  '^Instinct  is  a  natural  impulse,**  No !  That 
won't  do,  at  least  not  for  this  discussion.  Instinct 
is  one  thing,  and  impulse  is  another  thing,  in  what 
I  am  talking  about,  namely,  the  plu^  of  humanity. 
Within  the  realm  of  this  attainment  in  man,  instinct 
has  nothing  whatever  to  do.     But  with  it  impulse  has 


The  Three  Ts  81 

much  to  do,  for  it  offers  the  possibility  of  exercis- 
ing the  power  of  choice,  and  the  exercise  of  this 
power  makes  for  progress,  and  progress  is  the  pur- 
pose of  all  human  life! 

Once  more :  Since  the  major  half  of  all  the  quali- 
ties which  man  and  animals  have  in  common  has,  to 
a  great  extent,  as  I  have  already  shown,  been  lifted 
out  of  the  plane  of  mere  animalism  and  promoted 
into  the  realm  of  the  plu^  of  huTnanity,  it  follows 
that  instvnct  is  no  longer  a  sufficient  guide  for  the 
control  and  extension  of  these  qualities.  All  that  has 
to  do  with  the  plus  of  humanity  is  capable  of  prog- 
ress, of  improvement.  But  instinct  does  not  make  for 
progress.  It  requires  impulse^  rectified  by  choice, 
by  a  direct  act  of  the  will,  to  result  in  betterment, 
in  growth. 

And  this  means  that  everything  that  impulse  has 
to  do  with  is  capable  of  improvement  through  educa- 
tion. But  instinct  does  not  educate ;  and  to  leave  to 
instinct  the  management  of  elements  in  the  human 
make-up  which  should  be  under  the  control  of  the 
will,  which  should  be  guided  by  choice,  is  to  make  a 
gross  and  grave  mistake.  And  gross  and  grave  mis- 
takes always  have  to  be  paid  for,  times  over ! 

So  much  for  instinct  and  impulse. 

Intuition:  The  derivation  of  this  word  intuition 
will  help  its  understanding.  Considered  in  this  way, 
it  means  "taught  from  within."  In  some  respects  it 
is  like  instinct,  namely,  that,  in  a  way,  it  seems  to  be 


Sft  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

in  rather  than  of  the  body  it  inhabits.  And,  again, 
it  does  not  have  to  be  taught,  to  be  educated.  In- 
deed, the  probabilities  are  that  attempts  to  educate 
intuition  do  more  harm  than  good ! 

This  quality  is  possessed  to  a  higher  degree  by 
women  than  by  men,  and  it  is  especially  manifest  in 
geniuses  of  all  sorts  and  descriptions.  It  enables 
its  possessor  to  know  things  without  learning  them 
by  laborious  processes,  and  to  do  things  without 
much  thinking  about  the  way  or  the  means  of  accom- 
plishing desired  results. 

But  there  is  one  respect  in  which  it  differs  mate- 
rially from  instinct,  namely,  that  it  practically  re- 
quires of  its  possessor  a  judgment  as  to  whether  its 
teachings  are  correct  or  not.  That  is,  intuition  is 
not  an  infallible  guide — surely  not,  as  it  exists  in 
most  of  us.  We  cannot  trust  it  implicitly,  as  the 
bird  can  trust  its  instinct  implicitly.  And  that  is 
why  we  have  to  judge  its  promptings. 

In  this  respect,  mtmtion  is  much  more  like  impulse 
than  it  is  like  instinct,  and  its  usefulness  as  a  charac- 
ter-former comes  from  this  manner  of  its  working. 
Its  utilization  in  the  economy  of  human  life  involves 
the  use  of  the  will  and  the  exercise  of  the  power  of 
choice,  and  that  is  what  brings  it  into  the  realm  of 
the  pins  of  humanity,  and  makes  it  a  valuable  asset 
in  the  program  of  mankind. 

There  are  those  who  claim  that  intuition  is  to 
mankind  what  instinct  is  to  animals,  and  in  some  re- 


The  Three  Ps  83 

spects,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  this  is  true. 
Both  these  qualities  have  a  common  characteristic 
• — that  they  do  not  take  their  rise  from  an  initial 
will-exercise  on  the  part  of  their  possessors.  They 
lead  to,  or  compel  actions,  rather  than  suggest  them 
merely,  as  is  the  case  with  impulse,  and  in  this  re- 
gard they  are  much  alike. 

But  there  is  one  great  difference  between  instinct 
and  vntuition,  as  follows:  Instinct  is  universal  in 
its  applications,  as  it  were ;  that  is,  it  is  a  constant 
factor  in  all  the  actions  of  the  beings  it  controls. 
Intuition,  on  the  other  hand,  is  sporadic,  or  partial, 
in  its  appearance  and  work,  and  only  controls  a 
part,  or  perhaps  a  few,  of  the  acts  of  the  individuals 
in  which  it  manifests  itself.  Where  it  is  truly  pres- 
ent, it  is  often  all-powerful  and  may  be  left  to  a  safe 
supremacy.  But  it  is  not  always  present  in  man- 
kind, as  instinct  is  always  present  in  animals. 

The  result  of  this  is  that  creatures  which  are  gov- 
erned by  instinct  never  need  to  be  taught  along  any 
of  the  lines  on  which  this  faculty  is  their  constant 
and  natural  guide ;  and  this  includes  practically  all  ^ 
their  native  doings.  On  the  other  hand,  since  intui- 
tion is  only  partial  in  its  presence  and  workings, 
wherever  it  is  lacking  the  individual  must  be  taught 
what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it.  He  must  be  given 
the  benefit  of  the  former  experiences  of  his  kind  by 
careful,  intelligent  instruction,  and  not  left  to  shift 
for  himself  in  ways  that  he  knows  not  of  intuitively. 


84  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

On  all  the  lines  of  life  on  which  any  individual  has 
intuitive  knowedge,  he  can  readily  and  safely  go  his 
own  gait,  without  aid  or  assistance  from  any,  but 
such  manifestations  are  only  partial,  at  best,  in  any 
one  personality,  so  far  as  their  number  is  concerned, 
and  wherever  they  are  not  present,  there,  the  indi- 
vidual needs  instruction  and  help  from  others,  to 
be  taught  and  guided  by  the  former  experiences  of 
those  who  have  gone  over  the  road  which  he  must 
travel;  who  know  the  way,  and  so  can  point  it  out 
to  those  who  come  after. 

This  is  a  most  vital  difference  between  instinct 
and  intuition,  as  they  apply  to  human  life  and  ac- 
tions as  we  shall  see  later.  As  a  special  factor  in 
the  realms  included  in  this  study,  that  is,  in  the  plus 
of  humanity^  intuition  manifests  itself  in  what  are 
known  as  "affinities,"  of  which  more  definite  treat- 
ment will  be  given  at  the  proper  time  and  place. 

Instinct,  Impulse,  Intuition;  Desire,  Imagination, 
Ingenuity: — To  have  clear  ideas  regarding  these 
six  factors  that  have  to  do  with  the  out-workings 
of  the  life-force  as  it  manifests  itself  in  the  human 
family  in  this  world,  is  absolutely  essential  to  suc- 
cess in  comprehending  the  problems  which  all  prog- 
ress presents,  and  much  more  in  solving  these  same 
problems  as  they  appear  in  so  many  and  in  such 
varied  forms. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SOMETHING   OF  WHAT  ALL.  THESE   THINGS  HAVE   TO  DO 
WITH    CHILDREN    BY    CHANCE    OR   BY    CHOICE 

That  it  is  possible  for  children  to  be  brought  into 
this  world  by  choice  rather  than  by  chance  is  a  fact 
that  is  well  known  by  all  intelligent  people.  And  will 
you  stop  and  think  for  a  minute  that  man  is  the 
only  created  being  in  which  this  possibility  exists! 
Mere  animals  have  no  choice  whatsoever  as  to  how 
many  offspring  they  shall  produce,  or  when  and  un- 
der what  circumstances  their  descendants  shall  come 
into  this  world. 

In  all  these  realms  of  life-forms,  matings  which 
result  in  reproduction  are  only  possible  under  pre- 
determined conditions,  and  with  these  conditions, 
the  individual  wUl  of  the  parties  concerned  has 
nothing  whatever  to  do.  They  have  no  choice  what- 
ever in  the  premises.  They  do  as  they  must  and  not 
at  all  as  they  may.  The  whole  affair  is  governed 
and  controlled  by  instinct  alone,  and  with  it  neither 
impulse  nor  intuition  has  anything  whatsover  to  do. 

And  it  is  because  of  these  facts  that  the  whole 
affair  of  reproduction,  in  the  human  species,  is  lifted 

86 


86  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

above  the  plane  of  instinct,  and  rises  into  the  realm 
of  a  governable  impulse^  a  condition  wherein  choice 
becomes  possible  and  the  human  rciU  is  a  factor  to 
be  reckoned  with.  These  conditions  show  that  this 
part  of  man's  life,  namely,  the  reproductive  part, 
and  all  that  pertains  thereto,  belongs  in  the  realm 
of  the  plus  of  humanity,  and  not  in  the  plane  of 
mere  animality!  And  when  we  have  that  point  es- 
tablished, we  see  how  futile,  not  to  say  criminal,  it 
is  to  longer  hold  to  the  doctrine  that  the  bringing 
of  children  into  time  and  space  should  be  left  to  in- 
stinct, and  that  the  laws  of  life  that  obtain  in  the 
lower  forms  of  being  should  be  declared  as  applica- 
ble to  human  beings!  Moreover,  these  facts  force 
one  to  ask  the  question:  Shall  attempts  which  are 
made  to  better  conditions  with  regard  to  human 
reproduction  be  counted  as  "meddling"  with  nature's 
laws?  And  the  reply  which  cannot  be  other  than 
correct  must  be :  As  well  say  that  the  whole  science 
and  art  of  obstetrics  is  "meddling  with  nature's 
laws"  as  to  say  that  the  science  and  art  of  repro- 
duction of  the  human  species,  under  the  control  of 
the  human  will  (that  is,  by  choice)  is  tampering 
with  what  ought  to  be  let  alone!  Such  answer  is 
only  good  common  sense,  and  in  our  heart  of  hearts, 
we  know  that  it  is  true. 

As  well  say  that,  because  mere  animals  require 
no  assistance  in  parturition,  therefore  human  moth- 
ers should  be  left  to  shift  for  themselves  when  their 


Something  About  Children  by  Chance  or  Choice     87 

birth-pangs  come!  And,  to  be  really  honest  about 
it,  even  such  teaching  as  this  has  not  been  without 
its  advocates  in  days  gone  by !  Worse  than  all,  such 
doctrine  has  been  held  and  taught  by  those  who 
were  supposed  to  be  engaged  in  building  up  and 
bettering  humanity,  namely,  those  who  were  the  re- 
ligious leaders  of  the  race!  For  ages  it  was  held 
by  good  religious  people  that  because  our  mother, 
Eve,  ate  the  apple  and  was  cursed  therefor,  that,  for 
this  reason,  all  women  were  forever  doomed  "in  sor- 
row to  bring  forth'*  children,  and  that  any  attempt 
to  lessen  such  sorrow  and  suffering  was  acting  con- 
trary to  God's  purpose,  and  "meddling  with  nature's 
laws!"  It  does  not  seem  possible,  viewed  in  the 
light  of  modern  obstetrical  practice,  that  such  a 
condition  could  ever  have  existed,  but  it  did  exist ! 

But  now  that  old  order  is  passing  away,  and  a 
new  order  is  superseding  it.  Choice,  rather  than 
chance,  has  taken  its  place  at  the  bedside  of  human 
births,  greatly  to  the  benefit  of  all  parties  concerned ; 
and  by  the  same  token,  the  old  order  of  begetting 
children  by  chance  shall  one  day  pass,  and  be  num- 
bered among  the  things  that  were ;  and  in  its  stead 
shall  come  a  new  order  of  conception  by  choice,  of 
fatherhood  and  motherhood  by  a  deliberate  exercise 
of  the  human  wUl,  rather  than  at  the  hands  of 
chance  and  of  animal  instinct  merely ! 

If  the  plus  of  humanity  means  anything,  it  must 
mean  this;  and  that  it  does  mean  just  this,  there 


88  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

can  be  no  shadow  of  doubt  in  any  thoughtful  mind. 
The  great  question  is,  how  shall  such  righteous  and 
rightful  conditions  be  brought  about  and  made  ef- 
fective ? 

And  let  no  one  say  that  it  is  an  impossible  task 
that  is  thus  presented,  simply  because  conditions  are 
as  they  now  are,  and  the  means  of  making  them  bet- 
ter are  so  3ifficult  to  handle  that  the  outcomes  must 
be  generations  away.  The  hardest  lesson  man  has 
to  learn  is  to  "patiently  wait."  Theodore  Parker 
once  said  that  the  one  great  difference  between  God 
and  himself  was  that  The  Almighty  was  never  in  a 
hurry,  and  he  was ! 

It  may  help  us  to  be  patient  under  the  circum- 
stances, to  remember  that  it  was  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  after  the  discovery  that  the  earth  is 
round  before  the  fact  was  acknowledged  in  insti- 
tutions which  were  counted  as  leaders  of  truth  for 
mankind!  It  was  much  more  than  a  century  after 
Franklin  lured  electricity  from  the  clouds  before 
this  force  was  utilized  by  mankind,  made  to  light  up 
the  dark  places  of  the  earth,  turn  millions  of  wheels, 
and  run  on  errands  under  the  sea  and  through  the 
sky.  It  takes  time  for  things  to  grow,  often  a  long 
time.  "Presto,  pass !"  are  the  words  of  a  fakir,  but 
they  are  not  Nature's  words,  nor  God's  words !  So 
it  is  no  reason  w^hy  the  study  of  this  great  problem 
should  not  be  undertaken  because  of  the  difficulties 
that  are  involved  in  its  solution,  or  the  probability 


Something  About  Children  by  Chance  or  Choice     89 

that  its  correct  answer  will  be  so  long  in  the  finding. 

When  we  look  this  problem  squarely  in  the  face, 
and  read  it  and  analyze  it  so  as  to  get  at  the  very 
core  of  its  meaning,  we  find  that,  while  it  propounds 
a  great  number  of  highly  interesting  and  important 
questions,  as  the  subjects  it  presents  are  seen  from 
different  points  of  view,  yet  the  fundamental  item 
on  all  counts  is  located  in  one  great  issue,  namely: 
Is  it  in  accordance  with  the  rightful  order  of  human 
development  that  sea;  should  serve  any  other  purpose 
for  the  human  race  than  that  of  reproduction?  I 
write  the  question  in  this  particular  form  for  those 
who  prefer  to  consider  the  issue  from  a  purely  scien- 
tific standpoint.  But  because  there  are  many  who 
would  rather  view  it  from  another  angle  (if  they 
will  seriously  think  of  what  it  really  means  at  all) 
I  will  put  the  question  into  other  words,  as  follows: 
"Was  it  God*s  intent  in  making  man  that  sea:  in  the 
human  family  should  serve  amy  other  purpose  than 
that  of  reproduction?*' 

Now,  I  ask  you,  whoever  you  are  who  read  the 
questions  I  have  just  written,  to  answer  one  or  the 
other,  or  both  of  them,  whichever  3^ou  prefer,  hon- 
estly and  squarely ;  and  to  acknowledge,  to  yourself, 
at  least,  the  full  force  of  the  answer  you  give,  and 
to  be  willing  to  stand  by  and  defend  your  answer,  not 
theoretically  only,  but  by  your  own  acts  and  deeds 
— your  own  way  of  living,  whoever  you  are ! 

And  I  ask  this  of  you  because  the  argument  I  am 


90  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

making  is  not  based  on  theories,  or  statistics,  or 
"authorities,"  but  on  the  personal  experiences  of  the 
men  and  women  whom  I  know,  and  whom  you  know 
— ^yes,  closer  home  than  that,  namely  on  your  ex- 
periences and  mine,  wliich  are  the  ultimate  tests  in 
these  matters,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned.  You 
need  not  answer  to  me,  nor  to  any  one  but  your- 
self;  but  answer  to  yourself  as  a  person  whom  you 
can  decently  respect,  so  far  as  your  alleged  beliefs 
and  your  real  practices  are  concerned  f 

Regardless  of  what  your  personal  answer  may  or 
may  not  be,  it  is  only  fair  to  set  down,  as  a  part  of 
this  record,  what  the  almost  universal  theory  and 
practice  of  civilized  mankind  have  been,  especially 
that  part  of  mankind  that  you  and  I  are  most  fa- 
miliar with,  and  know  most  about.  Among  these, 
you  know,  and  I  know,  for  we  have  grown  up  under 
such  conditions,  the  theory  regarding  this  great  is- 
sue has  been  one  thing,  and  the  universal  practice, 
especially  among  married  men  and  women,  has  been 
an  entirely  different  thing!  Among  practically  all 
these  people,  the  announced  belief  has  been  that  the 
sole  function  of  sex  in  the  human  family  is  that  of 
reproduction,  and  that  any  other  exercise  of  that 
ftmction  is  a  sin  of  greater  or  less  magnitude! 

To  be  sure,  such  practice  has  always  been  counted 
as  a  sin  that  could  be  more  or  less  winked  at,  or 
condoned,  in  wedlock,  where  it  could  be  legalized,  so 
far  as  man-made  laws  were  concerned.     But   still, 


Sotnethmg  About  Children  by  Cha/nce  or  Choice     91 

even  there,  it  has  been  held,  so  far  as  teachings  and 
theoretical  beliefs  are  concerned,  that  things  would 
be  far  better  than  they  are  if  the  whole  sex  side 
of  human  life  could  be  eliminated  or  inhibited,  other 
than  for  reproductive  purposes ;  and  there  are  those 
who  hold  that  even  for  such  purposes  other  and 
better  ways  of  perpetuating  the  species  might  have 
been  devised!  If  one  doubts  these  assertions,  read 
Paul's  declaration  that  "It  is  better  to  marry  than 
to  burn,"  or  the  statement  of  the  Psalmist  who  says : 
"We  are  conceived  in  sin  and  born  in  iniquity." 

It  is  not  pleasant  to  write  these  things,  but  an 
honest  inquiry  into  the  real  truths  of  the  proposi- 
tion we  are  considering  demands  that  they  be  made 
a  part  of  the  record  in  compiling  any  comprehen- 
sive statement  of  the  subject  in  hand.  Practically, 
the  theory  of  this  part  of  human  life  and  experi- 
ence has  been  that  sex  in  humanity  is  a  debased  and 
debasing  quality,  that  any  exercise  of  its  functions, 
even  for  reproduction,  tends  to  lower  the  character 
of  the  parties  to  the  act ;  and  that  any  and  all  other 
expressions  of  this  part  of  humanity's  make-up  is 
sinful  and  so  should  be  avoided  to  the  utmost  pos- 
sible degree. 

Such  has  been  the  theory  of  the  Christian  Church 
from  its  very  beginning,  in  any  and  all  of  its  many 
and  varied  sects  and  denominations.  Some  of  these 
have  been  more  pronounced  than  others  in  assert- 
ing their  special  beliefs  on  the  subject;  but  all  have 


92  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

practically  agreed  in  their  teachings  regarding  it. 
Tomes  and  volumes  have  been  written  to  substanti- 
ate such  beliefs,  and  those  in  authority  in  these  in- 
stitutions have  taught  the  doctrine,  earnestly  and 
continually  througli  the  years. 

As  an  historical  fact,  these  views  of  the  early 
Christian  era  were  based  on  a  general  contempt  for 
the  human  body,  and  for  all  material  things,  be- 
cause it  was  held  by  these  early  believers  that  the 
world  was  to  come  to  an  end  very  shortly,  and  that 
the  chief  interest  in  this  life  was  to  prepare  for  a  life 
to  come,  which  might  be  entered  upon  at  almost  any 
moment.  It  was  for  this  cause  that  religion  became 
the  chief  factor  in  life  in  that  era,  and  took  the  form 
of  an  other-worldliness,  rather  than  of  correct  modes 
of  living  while  in  the  physical  body.  So  compre- 
hensive was  tliis  view  of  life  and  living  that  the  prin- 
ciples it  involved  were  made  to  apply  to  everything 
that  men  and  women  had  to  do  with.  It  affected 
what  they  ate  and  what  they  drank,  and  wherewithal 
they  were  clothed,  and  it  specially  pronounced 
against  "meddling"  with  things,  by  way  of  attempt- 
ing to  change  them  from  what  "God  made  them," 
as  witness  this  quotation  from  one  of  the  ancient 
Fathers,  who  wrote:  "The  purpose  of  clothing  is 
to  defend  the  body  against  excess  of  cold  and  in- 
tensity of  heat,  and  the  simplest  materials  are  suf- 
ficient for  the  purpose.  The  Christian  woman  must 
therefore  bid   farewell  to  embroidery   of  gold   and 


Something  About  Children  by  Chance  or  Choice     93 

Indian  silks;  she  is  strictly  forbidden  to  wear  gold 
ornaments  of  any  kind,  and  she  is  to  avoid  all  dyed 
clothes,  as  dye  is  unnecessary  for  health,  afflicts 
greedy  eyes,  and,  moreover,  it  is  false ;  for  God  would 
have  made  sheep  purple  if  he  had  wished  woolen 
clothes  to  be  purplel'*  The  italicized  words  are 
mine,  but  they  show  very  plainly  the  extent  to  which 
this  protest  against  "meddling  with  nature's  ways" 
was  carried  in  those  far  days.  That  a  good  deal 
of  this  spirit  has  descended  to  modern  times  is  evi- 
dent to  all  who  will  study  into  the  origin  of  many 
of  the  ways  and  customs  of  today. 

Doubtless  the  people  who  developed  these  views 
felt  that  they  had  good  and  sufficient  reasons  for 
maintaining  them.  There  is  no  need  of  blaming 
them,  or  of  saying  hard  things  about  them.  Take 
them  by  and  large,  most  people  believe  in  doing  what 
seems  to  them  best,  take  it  all  in  all ;  and  it  behooves 
us  all  to  be  charitable.  Still,  while  we  may  not  con- 
demn the  authors  of  great  mistakes,  it  is  nothing 
short  of  folly  to  persist  in  upholding  their  errors 
after  it  is  discovered  that  they  were  wrong  in  the 
opinions  and  beliefs  they  held.  And  the  fact  that 
such  authors  of  errors  were  counted  as  great,  or 
even  holy  people  in  their  day,  should  have  no  weight 
as  a  reason  for  the  continuation  of  policies  and  deeds 
which  they  inaugurated,  but  which  time  has  proven 
were  not  based  in  truth. 

Added  to  these  Christian  theorizers  and  teachers. 


94  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

there  have  arisen,  from  time  to  time,  men  and  women 
who  have  assumed  to  consider  this  subject  of  correct 
sex-life  less  from  a  religious,  and  more  from  an  al- 
leged strictly  logical  point  of  view.  And  from  them 
the  uniform  statement  of  the  case,  on  its  theoretical 
side,  has  been  as  follows: 

(a)  Man  is  an  animal. 

(b)  Among  animals  the  sole  purpose  of  sex  is  re- 
production. 

(c)  Therefore,  in  man  the  sole  purpose  of  sex 
is  reproduction. 

Practically  all  the  books  "For  Young  Men"  and 
"For  Young  Women'*  contain  this  syllogism  in  one 
form  or  another.  And  to  such  conclusion  their  writ- 
ers have  always  added  the  corollary  that,  since  the 
sole  function  of  sex  in  the  human  family  is  repro- 
duction, any  other  exercise  of  such  faculty  is  con- 
trary to  nature,  and  therefore  positively  wrong. 
And  because  it  is  rightfully  held  that  it  is  the  busi- 
ness of  life  to  overcome  wrong  doing,  believers  in  this 
doctrine  maintain  that  everything  possible  ought  to 
be  done,  individually  and  collectively,  to  eliminate, 
crush  out,  kill  and  totally  annihilate  this  part  of  the 
human  make-up,  except  such  a  modicum  of  it  as  may 
be  needful  to  keep  the  race  from  perishing  off  the 
face  of  the  earth! 

Such  are  the  theories  which  have  been  taught  to 
the  generations  that  you  and  I  are  descended  from, 
through  all  the  Christian  Era,  at  least,  and  even 


Something  About  Children  hy  Chance  or  Choice     95 

before  that  time,  in  some  lands,  and  under  some  con- 
ditions. If  you  know  of  a  book  or  a  treatise  on 
this  subject  which  the  common  people  have  ever 
been,  or  are  now  permitted  to  read,  which  teaches 
any  other  doctrine  than  this,  you  have  found  some- 
thing that  I  have  never  yet  discovered.  In  a  word, 
the  teachers  of  the  civilized  world  of  today,  religious 
and  alleged  logically  scientific,  are  proclaiming  this 
doctrine  early  and  late,  and  it  is  practically  the 
only  instruction  that  the  common  people  have,  or 
can  in  any  way  procure,  regarding  this  part  of  their 
lives !  It  was  taught  to  me,  and  I  am  very  sure  that 
it  was  taught  to  you.  More  than  that,  it  was  taught 
to  us  very  early  in  our  lives,  if  we  were  taught  any- 
thing at  all  regarding  this  part  of  our  being;  and 
what  is  taught  us  very  early  in  our  lives  takes  a 
mighty  hold  on  us,  and  its  influence  on  our  subse- 
quent existence  is  inestimable !  I  shall  make  special 
mention  of  this  fact  later  on  in  my  argument,  for  it 
is  a  factor  whose  significance  is  more  forceful  than 
is  generally  known  in  the  social  life  of  today. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  spite  of  these  theories,  doc- 
trines and  teachings  regarding  the  mission  of  sex 
in  the  human  race,  the  practices  of  the  overwhelm- 
ing majority  of  mankind  and  womankind  have  been 
utterly  at  variance  with  what  they  have  been  taught, 
and  with  their  professed  beliefs !  As  I  have  already 
said,  within  the  bounds  of  wedlock  such  practices 
have  been  legalized  by  man-made  laws,  and  not  only 


96  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

so,  but  submission  to  such  practice  has  been  made 
legally  compulsory,  on  the  part  of  wives,  with  the 
penalty  of  divorce  if  they  refuse  to  submit  to  such 
demands  on  the  part  of  their  husbands!  This  is 
"common  law,"  and  some  form  of  such  law  still  ex- 
ists in  all  modern  civilized  lands,  states  and  nations ! 
To  tell  the  whole  story,  it  should  be  added  that,  out- 
side of  the  limits  of  marriage,  nearly  all  men,  and 
very  many  women  have  lived  and  are  now  living  sex 
lives  which  were  and  are  contrary  to  their  sex  creeds ! 
These  are  matters  of  common  knowledge;  but  they 
are  equally  matters  of  common  hush-up,  say-noth- 
ing-about-it,  and  taboo  sort!     Abas! 

And  it  miglit  as  well  be  said  here  as  later,  that 
such  a  conditioning  of  these  basic  affairs  of  human 
life  is  about  as  bad  as  could  possibly  be  devised  if 
the  purpose  of  such  exploiting  was  to  work  ruin  to 
human  character.  The  reason  for  this  is,  that  be- 
cause of  this  variance  between  announced  beliefs  and 
actual  practices,  all  classes  of  men  and  women  in  the 
Christian  world  today  are  obliged  to  live  a  contmiuU 
lie,  or  a  series  of  contimuil  lies!  And  to  live  con- 
tinuol  lies  is  the  most  debasing  mid  soul-destroying 
experien-ce  that  a  human  being  can  be  subjected  to! 

Let  all  of  us  who  have,  all  our  lives,  been  obliged 
to  be  the  victims  of  such  continual  falsifications  sum 
up,  just  here,  if  we  can,  the  total  of  what  their  ef- 
fects have  Iv^cn,  and  still  are,  upon  our  characters! 


Something  About  Children  hy  Chance  or  Choice     97 

Try  not  to  flinch  from  this  stand-and-deliver  chal- 
lenge, as  it  appeals  to  you  personally. 

(The  further  I  get  into  this  writing,  the  more  I 
realize  that  it  is  chiefly  a  personal  aff*air,  a  sort  of 
heart-to-heart  talk  between  you  and  me.  And  it  is 
better,  yes,  best,  so!  It  is  only  as  individuals  <5an 
be  personally  touched  and  moved  to  action  that  real 
and  permanent  results  can  be  obtained!  This  is  a 
root  principle  in  all  social  and  ethical  changes  or 
reforms.  This  is  why  I  ask  you  to  bring  yourself 
and  your  own  personal  experiences  in  sex  life  to  the 
test  of  the  truth  or  falsity  of  these  theories  and 
their  exposition.  Let  these  stand  or  fall,  not  by 
what  books  or  "authorities"  say  about  them,  not  as 
they  tally  with  or  are  contrary  to  history,  conven- 
tional traditions  and  man-made  laws,  but  solely  as 
they  fit  your  experiences  and  mine,  for  such  is  the 
court  of  final  appeal  in  what  is  of  real  moment  to 
us,  or  to  any !) 

And  so  I  ask  you  again  to  ask  yourself,  and  to 
insist  on  an  answer,  whether  it  has  been  to  your  bene- 
fit or  for  your  harm,  that  you  have  been  compelled 
to  live  a  continual  sex-lie  all  your  life?  You  need 
not  answer  to  me,  but  I  beseech  you,  as  you  are  an 
honest  man  or  woman,  to  answer  to  yourself,  who- 
ever you  are!  Be  honest  now!  Don't  "side-step" 
the  whole  aff'air  by  saying  "who  cares?"  or  "we 
don't  own  it" !     If  you  are  a  man  or  a  woman  who 


98  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

counts  one  in  a  civilization  of  which  you  cannot  help 
being  a  part,  you  must  '*care"  for  you  do  "own" 
your  share  of  these  affairs. 

And  yet,  we  are  not  so  much  nor  so  wondrously 
to  blame,  you,  or  I,  or  any,  for  these  lying  modes  of 
sex-living  that  we  have  been  practically  forced  into, 
all  our  lives.  We  have  only  done  as  we  have  been 
taught  to  do,  and  as  all  our  elders  and  example-set- 
ters have  taught  and  done  before  us,  time  out  of 
mind! 

Truth  to  tell,  we  had  mighty  little  real  teaching 
regarding  our  sex-life,  one  way  or  another,  any  of 
us;  on  this  score,  the  anomalous  condition  has  ob- 
tained that  here,  the  knowledge  gained  by  one  gen- 
eration (if  any  such  knowledge  which  was  of  per- 
manent value  was  really  gained)  should  not  be 
passed  on  to  those  following,  but  that  each  gen- 
eration should  begin  over,  and  find  its  own  way 
in  these  matters,  de  novo,  just  as  if  no  one  had  ever 
known  anything  about  such  part  of  human  life  be- 
fore, and  that  "instmct  wovld  take  care  of  all  these 
affairs**!  So  let  us  not  be  too  hard  upon  ourselves 
and  our  deeds  in  these  regards,  because  of  these 
facts.  On  the  other  hand,  let  us  not  be  content  to 
continue  in  our  blindness  and  our  lying  ways  of  liv- 
ing, now  that  the  truth  has  been  pointed  out  to  us ! 
But  more  of  this  later. 

NoWy  it  is  out  of  these  utterly  false  conditions, 
these  pronowticed  differences  between  alleged  beliefs 


Somethmg  About  Children  by  Chance  or  Choice     99 

amd  contrary  practices  regarding  sex  life  and  sex 
functioning,  that  the  result  of  ^^children  by  chance" 
has  come  to  be  the  practically  wniversal  ride  for  the 
perpetu-ation  of  the  human  species!  For  we  all 
know  that  at  least  ninety-nine  per  cent  of  the  chil- 
dren who  are  born  into  the  world  today,  are  begot- 
ten by  chance  rather  than  by  choice! 

(And  again  I  say  that  I  am  not  bringing  statistics 
or  "authorities"  to  prove  my  assertions,  but  that  I 
base  their  truthfulness  solely  upon  your  experiences 
and  mine !  How  did  you  or  your  children  begin  to 
be?  Answer  that  honestly,  and  I  am  sure  I  shall 
be  safe  in  basing  my  per  cent  assertion  on  your 
reply!) 

The  reasons  for  this  condition  of  affairs  are  as 
follows : 

Reverting  to  the  principles  which  I  set  forth  in 
the  early  chapters  of  this  book,  it  is  certain  that 
the  reproduction  of  the  species  in  mere  animal  life 
is  not  a  matter  of  chance  at  all,  but  one  of  definite 
certainty.  More  than  that,  it  is  not  a  matter  of 
choice,  either,  in  any  degree,  with  any  form  of  life 
below  man.  In  all  such  realms  of  life-expression, 
instinct  is  the  sole  guide  and  cause  of  reproduction ; 
and  as  we  have  clearly  seen,  instinct  knows  nothing 
of  either  chance  or  choice!  It  is  a  matter  of  com- 
pulsion, pure  and  simple,  and  that  is  all  there  is 
of  it. 

But  in  the  human  family,  sex  expression  rises  from 


100         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

the  plane  of  instinct  into  the  realm  of  impulse,  and 
so  comes  under  the  possible  control  of  choice,  and 
the  human  wUl;  and  hence  the  method  of  dealing  with 
it  is  entirely  removed  from  that  of  the  manner  of 
its  exercise  in  the  brute  creation !  I  am  well  aware 
that  I  have  said  this  before;  but  it  is  so  important 
that  it  needs  to  be  said  not  only  again,  but  many, 
many  times. 

And  it  is  because  mankind  has  not  recognized  this 
all-important  fact,  that  this  disagreement  between 
theory  and  practice  in  sex-living  has  grown  up  in 
the  human  species.  Men  and  women  (and  especially 
men),  have  kept  their  theories  on  the  instinct-limit- 
ing plane  of  mere  animality,  while  they  have  given 
their  practices  free  rein  under  the  larger  range  of 
willful  possibility  of  sex-exercise  which  has  come 
to  mankind  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  plus  of  hu- 
manity! 

In  all  the  realms  of  life  below  humanity,  sex-ex- 
ercise is  only  possible  when  the  female  is  compelled 
by  her  instinct  to  desire  to  reproduce.  And  it  is 
also  true  that  the  males  in  these  life-forms  never 
offer  their  services  for  any  other  purpose  than  re- 
production, and  then  only  when  their  natural  mates 
are  fully  prepared  for,  and  desire,  impregnation. 
At  no  other  time  does  the  sex-instinct  appear  so  far 
as  mutual  sex-expression  is  concerned. 

But  this  is  not  the  case  in  the  human  race!  In 
this  realm  of  life-forms,  sex-expression  rises  above 


Something  About  Children  hy  Chande  or  Cfioice  lOl 

the  realm  of  mstvnct  into  that  of  impulse,  and  this 
sex-impulse  is  possible  of  expression  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  will,  in  all  normal  adults,  of  both  sexes, 
practically  at  all  times!  The  desire  to  reproduce 
has  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the  possibility  of 
such  expression  in  human  beings.  In  all  other  forms 
of  life,  such  desire  is  absolutely  essential  to  sex- 
manifestation ;  and  without  it,  such  phenomena  are 
not  only  unknown,  but  positively  impossible.  This 
fact  forms  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  significant 
differences  between  man  and  the  lower  forms  of  life 
that  is  within  the  ken  of  human  knowledge. 

And  just  here  is  where  the  trouble  comes  in,  in 
the  most  intimate  relations  of  married  men  and 
women.  Being  legally,  religiously  and  respectably 
granted  the  possibility  of  sex-exercise  at  any  time, 
regardless  of  whether  reproduction  is  desired  or  not, 
human  beings,  especially  the  male  portion  thereof, 
and  in  many  cases  the  female  as  well,  have  treated 
this  added  quality  as  though  it  were  on  a  par  with 
the  animality  of  mere  instinct,  and  have  not  sub- 
jected it  to  the  control  of  the  will,  under  whose  wise 
guidance  only  can  it  fulfill  the  purpose  it  was  meant 
to  serve.  That  is,  sex  having  been  promoted  into 
the  plus  of  humanity,  its  exercise  has  been  indulged 
in  as  though  it  were  still  only  a  brute  possession ! 

And  it  is  because  of  this  condition  of  affairs  that 
the  begetti/ng  of  progeny  in  the  human  family  has  be- 
come a  matter  of  chance!     Because  sex-exercise  is 


10J8      'Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

constantly  possible  for  adult  human  beings,  and  such 
expression  is  indulged  in  indiscrimately  by  married 
men  and  women,  regardless  of  whether  it  results  in 
reproduction  or  not;  and  because  conception  is  al- 
ways liable  to  result  from  such  meetings,  unless  it 
has  already  taken  place — because  these  things 
are  as  they  are,  the  impregnation  of  the  wife  is  liable 
to  occur  at  any  embrace;  that  is,  as  I  have  already 
said,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  concep- 
tion, in  the  married  relation,  is  a  matter  of  chancCy 
pure  and  simple,  and  not  one  of  certainty,  much 
less  one  of  choice.  And  again  I  say  that  I  do  not 
attempt  to  substantiate  this  statement  by  statistics, 
nor  by  the  testimony  of  "authorities."  Your  own 
experiences  as  a  husband  or  a  wife  have  demonstrated 
its  truthfulness,  and  you  know  it  as  well  as  any 
one. 

These  facts  bring  us  face  to  face  with  the  prob- 
lem stated  in  the  title  of  this  book,  and  they  also 
connect  up  all  the  earlier  chapters  I  have  written, 
with  the  main  subject  in  hand.  They  also  point 
unerringly  to  the  real  causes  of  most  of  the  troubles 
in  married  life,  according  to  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciple that  when  chance  is  permitted  to  control  af- 
fairs which  were  intended  to  be  guided  and  managed 
by  choice  and  the  human  will,  success  under  such 
conditions  is  not  only  extremely  improbable,  but,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  practically  impossible ! 

How  successfully  could  a  railroad,  or  any  other 


SoTuething  About  Children  by  Cha/nce  or  Choice  103 

business  concern  be  run,  if  it  were  exploited  by 
chance  alone?  Surely,  nothing  but  disaster  and 
ruin  could  ever  come  under  such  conditions,  except 
by  the  constant  exercise  of  miracles  to  avert  such 
calamities.  And  miracles  are  not  of  frequent  ap- 
pearance in  these  days ;  surely  not  to  the  extent  that 
their  intervention  must  be  relied  upon  as  the  only 
certain  road  leading  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise 
undertaken!  And  yet,  in  the  greatest  of  all  enter- 
prises in  which  humanity  can  be  engaged,  namely, 
the  bringing  of  children  into  this  world,  we  still  per- 
mit chance  to  be  the  main  factor  in  the  premises ! 

But,  though  all  these  things  are  so,  learned  bodies' 
of  doctors  still  issue  their  manifesto  that  "we  must 
not  meddle  with  nature's  ways,"  and  legislators 
make  laws  which  demand  the  punishment  by  fine  and 
imprisonment  of  any  one  who  disseminates  knowl- 
edge as  to  how  children  can  be  bom  other  than  by 
chance! 

It  is  because  of  this  condition  of  affairs  that  it 
would  seem  to  be  wise  to  try  earnestly  to  find  out 
what  "nature's  ways"  are,  as  they  apply  to  sex  in 
humanity. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SOME  STUDIES  AS  TO  THE  REAL  MISSION  OF  SEX  IN  THE 
HUMAN   SPECIES 

Putting  together  the  several  arguments  and 
demonstrations  I  have  so  far  made,  does  not  the 
thought  occur  that  it  is  quite  possible  tliat  sex  hns 
two  modes  of  expression  in  the  human  famUi/,  just  as 
appetite  for  food  has  two  modes  of  expression,  a/nd 
eyesight  has  twOy  and  hearing  has  two? 

You  will  remember  that  I  spoke  of  the  two  modes 
of  expression  of  physical  appetite  for  food,  as  this 
quality  exists  in  mankind,  as  materially-constructive 
and  esthetically-upbuilding,  respectively ;  and  I  gave 
similar  namings  to  the  double  forms  of  expression 
in  the  matter  of  human  eyesight  and  of  hearing. 
The  first  of  all  these  modes  of  expression,  in  each 
case  and  severally,  is  the  most  primary,  and  deals 
almost  entirely  with  the  material  make-up  of  man- 
kind. The  second,  in  each  case,  pertains  wholly  to 
the  pliLs  of  humanity,  and  its  exercise  is  only  pos- 
sible where  such  plus  exists.  On  the  other  hand,  its 
rightful  exercise  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  growth 

104 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  vn  the  Human  Species  105 

and  development  of  such  plus  (given  that  addition 
to  man's  material  organism). 

Now,  it  is  on  this  basis  that  the  probability  ap- 
pears, and  on  examination  of  the  facts  in  the  case, 
it  becomes  a  positive  certainty,  that  sex  also  has 
two  forms  of  expression  in  the  human  species,  the 
first  of  which  is  most  primary  and  deals  largely  with 
the  material  make-up  of  mankind ;  while  the  second, 
which  belongs  entirely  to  the  plus  of  humanity,  serves 
a  wholly  esthetic  purpose,  namely,  the  upbuild- 
ing, the  growth  and  the  development  of  this  plus, 
whose  existence  makes  the  exercise  of  this  form  of 
sex-expression  possible. 

On  this  basis,  the  first  of  these  modes  of  sex-ex- 
pression is  the  reproductive;  the  second  may  well 
be  called  the  "afFectional,'*  a  word  which  finely  de- 
notes the  scope  and  significance  of  this  form  of  hu- 
man sex-manifestation.  Looked  at  in  this  way,  the 
first  of  these  manifestations  is,  primarily,  of  the 
earth  earthy,  and  may  descend  as  low  in  its  exercise 
as  the  plane  of  mere  brutality.  The  second  is  God- 
born,  and  may  include  in  its  realization  everything 
between  the  most  blissful  of  physical  delights  and 
all  the  raptures  that  come  from  the  scaling  of  men- 
tal and  spiritual  heights.  The  first  may  be  only 
like  a  prose  statement  of  a  dire  necessity;  the  sec- 
ond, in  its  rightful  expressions,  is  like  poetry  with 
all  the  lilt  and  rhythm  of  the  most  perfect  of  ca- 
dences.    The  first  may  be  only  like  the  harsh  noise 


106  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  a  clumsy  machine;  the  second  may  be  music  in 
its  most  heavenly  forms!  The  first,  in  itself  alone, 
is  a  mere  matter  of  fact ;  the  second  takes  the  imag- 
ination for  its  partner,  in  its  journey ings,  and  the 
twain  together  may  explore  all  the  realms  of  beauty 
in  time  and  space.  The  first  may  be  coldly  scien- 
tific, merely;  the  second  may  be  fanciful  to  a  limit- 
less degree.  The  first  may  be  only  ice;  the  second 
may  always  be  sunshine.  The  first,  per  se^  is  bald 
reality;  the  second  is,  at  its  best,  an  idealized  dream 
come  true.  The  first  has  animal  instinct  for  its 
base ;  the  second  is  grounded  in  a  divine  impulse  in- 
spired by  human  love.  The  first,  considered  on  the 
physical-utility  plane  only,  has  but  one  aim  in  view, 
but  one  reason  for  its  existence,  namely,  the  per- 
petuation of  the  human  species ;  the  second  includes 
in  its  purpose  and  usefulness  the  upbuilding  of  the 
whole  human  life,  from  the  extreme  lowliness  of  its 
material  existence  to  the  highest  reaches  of  man's 
spiritual  being.  The  first  may  be  exploited  on  the 
demand  of  one  party,  irf  its  gross  fulfillment;  and 
the  second  is  realized  only  by  the  mutual  desire  and 
consent  of  both  parties  concerned.  The  first  may 
be  a  matter  of  compulsion,  or  coercion  even;  the 
second  must  always  be  the  free-will  offering  of  love. 
The  first  may  be  counted  as  a  legal  right  and  be 
enforced  as  such ;  the  second  knows  nothing  of  rights 
or  duties,  and  if  either  of  these  even  knocks  at  its 
doors,  it  flies  out  at  the  window  instantly.    The  first 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  m  the  Hwman  Species   107 

may  pertain  to  the  physical  body  only,  and  can  con- 
tinue to  exist  on  the  material  plane  alone ;  the  second 
is  an  adjunct  of  the  plus  of  humanity,  and  must  be 
exercised  on  that  plane  if  it  lives  and  flourishes 
according  to  the  intent  of  its  existence. 

Now,  I  am  not  misrepresenting  in  writing  thus  of 
the  first  mode  of  sex-expression,  when  considered  by 
itself  alone;  nor  am  I  rhapsodising  in  saying  what 
I  have  of  its  second  form  of  manifestation.  There 
are  many  who  read  what  I  have  written  who  can  tes- 
tify to  the  truthfulness  of  my  words,  as  they  apply 
to  each  manner  of  sex-living  as  they  exist  among 
husbands  and  wives. 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  add  that  under  normal  con- 
ditions, and  when  men  and  women  come  to  the  full 
realization  of  their  possibilities  as  human  beings, 
there  is  a  mingling  of  these  two  forms  of  sex-life, 
which  makes  for  a  perfect  harmony  between  the  ma- 
terial and  the  spiritual,  the  human  and  the  divine, 
the  earthly  and  the  heavenly.  Such  condition  is 
well  known  to  many  men  and  women,  and  it  is  easily 
comparable  to  the  results  which  come  from  the 
double  expression  of  human  physical  appetite  for 
food,  as  we  have  already  seen  this  to  be,  and  such 
analogy  is  almost  perfect. 

Thus  the  body  can  be  kept  alive  by  the  solitary 
devouring  of  raw  meat  and  unground  grain.  But 
such  is  not  human  living ;  it  is  the  life  of  beasts ! 
Furthermore,  what  all  the  accompaniments  of  table 


108         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

furnishings,  and  well  prepared  foods  and  drinks,  and 
social  converse,  and  mutual  delights  of  breaking 
bread  together, — what  all  these  do  in  the  exercise  of 
physical  appetite,  on  the  plane  of  the  plus  of  human- 
ity, for  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  mankind 
(and  the  same  thing  is  true  in  the  case  of  eyesight 
and  hearing),  all  this,  and  more,  the  exercise  of  the 
"afFectional"  mode  of  sex-expression  does  for  hu- 
manity through  the  exploitation  of  this  part  of  its 
make-up ! 

And  to  contend  that  the  reproductive  element  in 
sex-expression  is  the  only  rightful  way  in  which  this 
part  of  man's  being  can  he  exercised,  is  on  a  par 
with  insisting  that  the  partaking  of  food  for  the 
purpose  of  "keeping  up  the  body,"  merely,  is  the 
only  way  in  which  human  physical  apj>etite  can  be 
righth^  utilized !  Or  that  the  only  use  of  eyesight  is 
to  guide  one's  steps  aright,  or  that  of  ears  merely 
to  tell  where  danger  lies.  More  than  this,  to  de- 
clare that  any  attempt  to  realize  the  possible  best 
in  both  these  modes  of  sex-expression,  by  means  of 
man's  ingenuity,  is  "meddling  H^th  nature's  ways," 
is  like  saying  that  all  efforts  to  produce  delicious 
foods  and  artistic  table  furnishings  are  wrongdoing; 
or  that  the  making  of  pictures  or  the  printing  of 
books,  or  the  singing  of  songs  or  the  playing  of 
musical  instruments  is  a  sin! 

All  of  which  means  that  sex,  as  it  exists  in  the  hu- 
man species  requires  both  the  reproductive  and  the 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  in  the  Human  Species  109 

affectional  modes  of  expression,  vn  order  that  it  may 
fidfill  its  real  mission  as  a  factor  in  human  life. 

There  is  no  escape  from  this  conclusion  if  one  ad- 
mits the  plus  of  humanity  as  an  attainment  in  hu- 
man life ! 

For,  as  soon  as  one  admits  the  existence  of  the 
plus  of  humanity,  he  observes  that  the  possession  of 
such  plus  puts  mankind  wholly  outside  of  and  above 
the  plane  of  mere  animality ;  and  just  so  soon  it  fol- 
lows that  all  the  qualities  that  men  and  women  pos- 
sess in  common  with  life-forms  below  them  have  two 
forms  of  expression  instead  of  one,  and  that  both  of 
these  must  he  given  the  exercise  which  their  very  na- 
ture demands  in  order  that  their  possessors  may  grow 
cmd  develop  normally,  and  in  harmony  with  the  es- 
sential laws  of  their  being. 

Reviewing  somewhat  further  these  two  modes  of 
sex-expression  in  the  human  family,  it  may  help  some- 
what to  a  better  understanding  of  the  situation  to 
say,  regarding  the  first,  that  even  this,  which  is  very 
closely  related  to  the  same  sort  of  functioning  in 
the  brute  creation,  since  it  results  in  the  reproduc- 
tion of  the  species,  differs  essentially  from  mere  ani- 
mality in  its  exercise,  since,  in  mankind  it  is  a  matter 
of  impulse  under  the  possible  control  of  the  will, 
while  in  the  brutes  it  is  an  affair  of  instvnct  only, 
with  which  will  and  choice  have,  and  can  have,  noth- 
ing whatever  to  do.  And  it  is  because  of  this  es- 
sential difference  which  exists  between  sex-function- 


110         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

ing  on  the  reproductive  side  in  mankind  and  in  the 
brute  creation,  that  the  principles  and  practices 
which  apply  in  one  case  do  not  and  cannot  appl}'  in 
the  other.  Amongst  animals  there  is  neither  any 
danger,  or  even  any  possibility  of  injustice  or  harm, 
or  any  similar  evil  results  arising,  for  any  of  the 
parties  concerned,  from  sex-functioning,  on  this 
plane,  since  the  whole  affair  is  under  tlie  guidance 
and  control  of  a  power  or  a  force  which  prevents 
any  excess  in  this  particular  form  of  life-force-ex- 
pression, namely,  instinct.  More  than  this,  sex-ex- 
ercise is  never  engaged  in,  nor  is  it  possible  in  the 
brute  creation,  without  the  mutual  consent  and  pro- 
nounced desire  of  both  parties  to  the  act!  This  is 
a  factor  of  supreme  moment,  and  hence  is  one  which 
demands  more  than  a  passing  notice. 

This  is  so,  for  the  reason  that  amongst  men  and 
women  who  may  legally  cohabit,  that  is,  amongst 
husbands  and  wives,  mutual  consent,  or  even  mutual 
desire  for  sex-exercise  is  not  only  not  required,  but 
its  fulfillment  can  be  exacted  on  the  part  of  one  of 
the  individuals  concerned,  even  against  the  positive 
protest,  or  even  the  pronounced  resistance  of  the 
other  party  to  the  act.  Not  only  is  this  so,  but 
such  compulsory  submission,  even  if  carried  to  tlie 
extent  of  physical  force  is  sustained  and  buttressed 
by  law,  where  the  parties  are  married ;  and  to  refuse 
to  yield  to  such  demands  subjects  those  who  thus 
deny  the  exercise  of  a  legal  marital  right  to  pen- 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  vn  the  Hwman  Species   111 

alties  so  severe  that,  as  a  rule,  the  sufferers  prefer 
to  bear  the  ills  they  have  rather  than  to  fly  to  others 
that  they  know  not  of.  And  I  need  not  quote  sta- 
tistics to  prove  this  assertion  either! 

The  question  remains,  can  anything  be  done  to 
make  these  conditions  better  than  they  now  are; 
and,  if  so,  what?  To  answer  such  questions  fairly, 
intelligently  and  satisfactorily,  it  will  help  to  look 
into  history  for  a  space,  and  to  inquire  how  it  has 
come  about  that  these  conditions  are  as  they  are. 

If  we  go  back  far  enough  into  the  past,  the  un- 
pleasant, yet  undeniable  fact  appears  that  marriage 
was,  in  its  early  estate,  a  form  of  slavery,  pure  and 
simple.  Wives  were  stolen  in  those  old  days,  and 
like  any  other  piece  of  filched  property  they  were 
subjected  to  any  uses  which  their  captors  chose  to 
make  of  them;  and  because  these  thieves  were  hu- 
man beings,  and  so  were  possessed  of  the  ability  to 
exercise  this  sex-function  at  will,  and  because  they 
were  physically  stronger  than  the  women  they  stole, 
and  so  were  able  to  coerce  them,  it  was  perfectly  nat- 
ural, under  such  conditions,  that  the  submission  of 
these  slave  wives  to  the  sex-demands  of  their  hus- 
bands should  come  into  existence. 

Most  of  the  affairs  of  life  have  come  into  existence 
quite  naturally,  when  we  know  all  the  facts  that  per- 
tain to  them ! 

Another  curious  and  very  significant  fact  is  that 
found  in  the  early  history  of  monogamic  marriage 


112         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

(the  earliest  forms  of  marriage  were  not  mono- 
gamic)  wliich  had  its  rise  among  the  Greek  people, 
as  follows:  It  was  one  of  the  tenets  of  some  of  the 
forms  of  Greek  religion  that  the  spirit  of  a  dead 
man  must,  after  his  demise,  be  looked  after  by  some 
one  in  this  worid  who  had  the  deceased  one's  blood 
in  his  veins.  Now  when  this  form  of  faith  first  arose, 
monogamy  was  not  in  practice  among  the  Greeks, 
but  men  and  women  gave  expression  to  their  sex- 
natures  according  to  natural  desires,  practically  un- 
regulated by  either  law,  or  custom  or  social  ban. 
Under  these  conditions  it  is  self-evident  that  pater- 
nity was  a  very  uncertain  affair,  and  that  it  would 
be  exceedingly  difficult  for  any  man  to  be  abso- 
lutely sure  as  to  wliether  a  child  which  was  osten- 
sibly his  really  had  any  of  his  blood  in  its  veins. 
And  a  man  had  to  be  exceedingly  careful  in  such 
matters,  in  those  times,  since  the  gods  were  supposed 
to  know  everytliing,  and  to  deceive  them  in  these 
affairs  was  therefore  impossible!  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, it  became  customary  for  men  who 
wished  to  make  sure  in  the  premises  to  take  some 
one  woman  and  shut  her  up,  where  she  could  not 
meet  other  men,  and  so  make  sure  that  the  children 
she  bore  had  his  blood  in  their  veins!  Meantime, 
such  men  themselves  sustained  sex-relations  with 
other  women,  if  they  chose  to  do  so,  and  were  not 
accounted  as  doing  wrong  by  that  manner  of  liv- 
ing.    This  is  one  of  the  ways  in  which  monogamy 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  in  the  Hwman  Species   113 

came  into  vogue  amongst  one  of  the  peoples  of  the 
earth. 

But  there  is  no  need  of  dwelling  too  long  on  these 
details,  nor  of  historically  establishing  all  the  dif- 
ferent ways  in  which  early  marital  relations  amongst 
men  and  women  were  maintained.  Enough  to  say 
that,  in  all  such  relations,  there  was  an  element  of 
slavery  which  persisted  to  a  greater  or  less  degree 
as  time  went  on.  And  it  is  also  true  that  more  or 
less  of  this  spirit  and  of  its  concrete  expression  has 
come  down  to  modem  times. 

On  the  other  hand,  among  some  ancient  peoples, 
the  mother  of  the  family  was  the  center  of  the  house- 
hold. Her  children  bore  her  name  and  all  property 
rights  were  vested  in  her.  Under  these  conditions 
men  were  the  lesser  half  of  married  life,  and  women 
were  far  freer  and  further  removed  from  slavish  con- 
ditions than  when  their  husbands  stole  them  and 
compelled  them  to  do  their  bidding,  irrespective  of 
their  desires  or  their  well-being.  That  is,  women, 
being  economically  free  from  the  control  of  men, 
were  in  position  to  assert  and  maintain  an  inde- 
pendence which  was  impossible  where  men  were  their 
lords  and  masters.  There  is  an  item  to  this  state 
of  affairs  which  is  of  great  importance,  as  we  shall 
see  later. 

Chivalry  had  also  something  to  do  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  married  relations,  as  they  came  to  exist 
in  some  localities ;  but  this  form  of  wedded  life  was 


114         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

largely  fictitious  and  sophisticated.  It  consisted  al- 
most entirely  of  a  sentimentality  which  flourished  to 
the  extent  of  tropical  profusion  before  marriage, 
but  which  shrunk  to  nothingness,  or  brutahty,  once 
the  banns  were  pronounced.  It  consisted  largely  of 
words  which  seldom  eventuated  in  deeds,  in  protesta- 
tions which  were  more  honored  in  the  breach  than 
in  the  observance,  once  the  knight  had  possessed  him- 
self of  the  object  of  his  passionate  pursuit. 

Remnants  of  many  of  tliese  early  marital  condi- 
tions are  still  recognizable  in  our  current  marriage 
ceremonies.  Thus,  the  ring  is  a  mystic  symbol  of 
the  shackles  with  which  wives  were  chained  by  their 
captors,  and  tlie  promise  to  "obey"  is  a  relic  of  a 
condition  of  servitude  which  at  one  time  obtained 
for  all  married  women.  The  phrase  "with  all  my 
earthly  goods  I  thee  endow"  is  a  "left  over"  from 
the  age  of  chivalry,  and  is  as  meaningless  in  this 
setting,  so  far  as  performance  is  concerned,  as  were 
all  the  rest  of  the  voluble  voicings  of  those  gay  and 
festive  characters ;  while  even  the  name  wed-lock  has 
a  significance  of  steel-trapness  that  inheres  in  the 
very  sound  of  the  word  itself. 

Such  is  a  brief  review  of  some  of  the  legal  marital 
relations  which  have  existed  between  husbands  and 
wives  in  days  gone  by.  In  every  case  except  one, 
namely,  when  the  wives  were  the  property  holders 
of  the  combination,  the  husbands  were  in  supreme 
authority,  and  such  mastership   in  many   cases  in- 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  m  the  Human  Species   115 

eluded  the  power  of  life  and  death.  That  is,  a  hus- 
band could  kill  his  wife,  if  he  chose  to  do  so,  and  none 
could  stay  his  hand  or  say,  what  hast  thou  done? 

Under  such  conditions,  is  it  any  wonder  that  men 
in  whom  there  exists  the  constant  desire  for  sex- 
exercise,  should  have  required,  or  even  compelled  the 
subjection  of  their  wives  to  their  impulses,  or  what 
they  counted  as  their  sexual  needs? 

Of  course,  it  cannot  be  truthfully  maintained  that 
all  wives,  even  then  as  now,  were  or  are  always  co- 
erced in  sex  relations.  Human  nature  being  what 
it  is,  and  has  been  through  the  ages,  renders  such 
a  conclusion  unwarranted.  But  the  fact  remains 
that  there  has  always  existed  in  the  married  state, 
the  possibility  ©f  the  coercion  of  the  wife  at  the  will 
of  the  husband;  and  that  such  right  has  not  only 
been  backed  up  by  law,  but  that  its  exercise  has  been 
of  all  too  frequent  occurrence  is  a  matter  of  com- 
mon knowledge.  More  than  this,  that  the  exercise 
of  such  legal  right  on  the  part  of  the  husband  has 
been  the  cause  of  untold  married  unhappiness  is  as 
well  known  as  is  the  fact  that  such  right  has  ex- 
isted. 

In  view  of  all  these  facts,  it  is  easy  to  see  where 
injustice  and  troubles  have  arisen  between  husbands 
and  wives,  both  in  the  past  and  up  to  date.  It  is  a 
fundamental  principle  in  equity  and  in  justice  that, 
in  all  affairs  where  two  equal  personalities  are  con- 
cerned, nothing  can  rightfully  be  done  which  is  not 


116  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

undertaken  by  the  mutual  consent  of  both  parties  to 
the  doing.  Any  other  mode  of  procedure  than  this 
is  only  a  form  of  master  and  slave.  It  may  not  be 
called  by  such  name,  but  the  condition  is  really  that 
and  nothing  else. 

Anent  which  item,  namely,  mutual  agreement  be- 
ing an  absolute  essential  in  all  affairs  where  two 
equal  personalities  are  concerned,  if  riglit  and  equity 
are  to  ensue,  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  call 
the  attention  of  my  readers  to  some  very  significant 
words  which  have  been  uttered  in  the  past,  from  two 
very  different  sources,  as  follows: 

There  is  a  passage  in  tlie  Bible,  which,  if  correctly 
interpreted,  would  read:  "And  if  two  of  you  shall 
agree  as  touching  anytliing,  it  may  be  done  by  them, 
for  such  is  in  harmony  with  the  eternal  order  of 
things."  And  the  corollary  of  this  saying  must  be 
that,  where  two  are  equally  concerned,  and  do  not 
"agree  as  touching"  the  issue  in  hand,  for  o?2e  alone 
to  insist  on  its  doing,  against  tlie  will  of  the  other, 
cannot  be  "in  harmony  witli  the  eternal  order  of 
things"!  The  saying  is  worthy  of  its  author,  and 
tlic  common  sense,  as  well  as  the  experiences  of  man- 
kind, prove  its  value  as  a  guiding  principle  in  all 
dual  human  relationships. 

Anotlier  forceful  saying  to  the  same  effect,  but 
somewhat  more  subtle,«comes  to  us  from  an  ancient 
Chinese  philosopher,  who  says:  "Wliere  two  are 
jointly  concerned,  one  must  not  insist!" 


Real  Mission  of  Sex  vti  the  Human  Species   117 

In  no  relations  in  life  are  these  words  more  truth- 
ful and  forceful  than  in  that  of  marriage.  And  yet, 
always,  where  such  disagreements  and  insistences  as 
I  have  referred  to  do  occur,  the  theory  of  at  least 
one  of  the  parties  to  such  untoward  conditions  has 
always  been  that  the  sole  mission  of  sex  in  the  human 
species  is  reproduction,  while  the  practice  has  been 
the  very  reverse  of  this,  even  in  the  face  of  the  fact 
that  all  such  extra-reproductive  sex-expression  was 
counted  to  be  a  sin!  To  be  sure  it  was  a  legalized 
sin  so  long  as  it  was  confined  to  the  marriage  rela- 
tion, and  it  was  because  of  this  fact  that  Bernard 
Shaw  makes  one  of  his  characters  say:  "Marriage 
is  one  of  the  most  licentious  institutions  in  the 
world ;  and  the  reason  it  is  so  popular  is  that  it  fur- 
nishes the  maximum  of  opportunity  at  the  minimum 
of  risk."  "This  is  a  hard  saying,  who  can  bear  it?" 
But  we  have  to  bear  it,  or  at  least  to  acknowledge 
its  truthfulness! 

And  so  we  return  to  the  evident  fact  that  sex  in 
the  human  family  has  two  modes  of  expression, 
namely,  the  reproductive  and  the  affectional;  and  be- 
cause in  all  other  cases  in  human  life  where  there 
are  two  modes  of  expression  of  any  faculty,  it  is  es- 
sential that  hoth  be  recognized  and  given  the  oppor- 
tunities for  the  exercise  which  their  existence  re- 
quires for  the  growth  and  development  of  their  pos- 
sessors— ^because  these  things  are  so,  it  follows  that 
hoth  the  reproductive  and  the  affectional  phases  of 


118  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

sex-life  in  hiumanity  should  be  provided  for,  and  such 
conditions  discovered  and  established  as  would  make 
their  normal  ftdfillment  possible!  Is  there  any  es- 
cape from  this  conclusion?  Is  there  any  mistake  in 
the  logic  or  in  the  facts  that  lead  up  to  it,  and 
which  make  it  inevitable?  If  not,  and  I  confess  that 
I  can  find  none  such,  let  us  acknowledge  the  situa- 
tion and  undertake  to  make  provision  for  it,  as  its 
existence  and  the  well-being  of  men  and  women  de- 
mand. Let  us  conclude,  once  for  all,  that  the  real 
mission  of  sex  in  the  human  family  is  that  it  is  meant 
to  serve  a  double  purpose,  each  of  which  is  right  and 
honorable,  God-ordained,  if  you  will,  and,  with  this 
point  settled,  let  us  believe  and  act  accordingly! 
Let  us  quit  all  theories  which  hold  that  the  afF-ec- 
tional  expression  of  sex-life  is  a  sin — this  first  of  all! 
Indeed,  let  us  learn  that,  just  as  the  esthetical  part 
of  the  appetite  for  food,  or  the  cultural  exercise  of 
eye-sight  or  of  hearing  have,  because  they  are  ac- 
cessories of  the  plus  of  humanity,  become  the  major 
part  of  the  exercise  of  all  these  faculties;  in  just  the 
same  way,  and  for  the  same  reason,  let  us  under- 
stand that  the  affectuynal  expression  of  sex-life  is 
really  the  major  part  of  the  exercise  of  this  part  of 
the  human  economy! 

Such,  then,  is  the  ultimate  and  undeniable  con- 
clusion which  we  are  forced  to  accept  as  a  result  of 
our  studies  as  to  "the  real  mission  of  sex  in  the  hu- 
man species.^ 


CHAPTER  IX 

WHAT     OUGHT    TO     BE     DONE     UNDER    THESE     CIRCUM- 
STANCES ? 

To  answer  the  question  which  stands  at  the  head 
of  this  chapter  is  no  easy  task,  nor  can  a  full  reply 
be  given  to  it  at  present,  things  being  as  they  now 
are !  So  much  must  be  acknowledged  at  the  very 
outset.  But,  this  much  we  can  do:  First,  we  can 
acknowledge  the  facts,  in  our  own  hearts  and  con- 
sciences at  least;  and  then,  second,  we  can  use  our 
best  efforts  to  bring  about  conditions  which  will 
make  it  possible  for  ourselves  and  our  fellow  men 
and  women  to  live  lives  which  are  in  harmony  with 
what  these  facts  prove  to  be  the  truth  in  these 
premises!  To  do  these  two  things  is  not  only  com- 
mon sense,  but  it  is  a  duty  that  every  person  who  is 
loyal  to  life  should  do  to  the  best  of  his  or  her  ability. 

Now,  neither  of  these  two  things  will  be  easy  to 
do,  for  the  most  of  mankind!  Probably  the  first 
will  be  harder  than  the  second !  This  will  be  owing 
to  the  fact  that  we  have  all  so  long  been  taught  that 
the  reverse  of  the  conclusions  reached  in  the  last 
chapter  is  true  that  it  will  be  exceedingly  difficult 

119 


120  Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

for  many  of  us,  not  to  say  most  of  us,  to  break  away 
from  our  ancient  and  honorable  instructions  and  our 
long-held  and  deeply  intrenched  beliefs.  We  are  not 
to  blame  for  this  condition  of  mind,  for  inertia  is  a 
strong  factor  in  the  human  composition.  But,  hav- 
ing recognized  the  truth  in  these  matters,  the  man- 
hood in  our  veins,  and  the  love  for  humanity  in  our 
hearts  should  inspire  us  to  an  activity  which  will 
result  in  establishing  rightful  conditions  in  these  es- 
sential affairs  of  life.  And  it  is  neither  disrespect 
to  the  past,  nor  treason  to  the  present  to  use  our 
energies  in  such  direction ! 

I  say  it  will  be  no  slight  task  for  the  most  of  the 
people  of  today  to  bring  themselves  into  a  mental 
attitude  in  which  they  will  dare  to  admit,  even  to 
themselves,  the  fact  that  there  are  really  two^  na- 
ture-ordained and  God-ordained,  modes  of  sex-ex- 
pression in  humanity;  and  it  will  be  harder  still  for 
them  to  acknowledge  that  the  "affectional"  mani- 
festation of  this  quality  is  of  the  greater  importance 
and  potency  in  the  up-building  of  human  character. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  wish  to  present,  just  here, 
some  suggestions  which  may  impel  to  right  thinking 
along  these  lines.  That  is,  I  want  to  formulate  some 
of  the  facts  and  principles  which  ultimate  in  the 
conclusions  I  have  just  stated.  To  do  this,  let  us 
review  a  little  as  follows: 

To  begin  at  the  beginning,  it  seems  to  me  that  we 
cannot  avoid  acknowledging  the  existence  and  the 


What  Ought  to  be  Done  m  these  Circwmstances   1^1 

rightful  reality  of  the  plus  of  huTnanity!  As  the 
proof  of  this  has  come  to  me,  and  as  I  have  embodied 
it  in  my  arguments,  and  so  passed  it  on  to  you,  I 
can  find  no  escape  from  the  conclusions  it  leads  up 
to  and  results  in!  I  cannot  deny  its  presence  and 
its  forcefulness  in  the  case  of  physical  appetite  for 
food,  as  this  quality  exists  in  myself  and  in  man- 
kind. My  own  experience,  and  yours  as  well,  com- 
pel us  to  acknowledge  such  plus  in  ourselves ;  and  if 
in  us,  equally  so  in  our  fellow  men  and  women.  So 
much  seems  to  me  absolutely  certain,  and  I  cannot 
see  how  you  can  help  but  come  into  the  same  mental 
condition. 

That  is  the  first  step ;  and  with  so  much  estab- 
lished, ever  so  much  more  must  follow  as  naturally 
as  does  the  day  the  night. 

For,  if  this  principle  holds  true  in  the  case  of 
physical  appetite,  as  it  surely  does,  much  more  and 
much  clearer  is  it  a  certainty  in  its  application  to 
eye-sight  and  hearing!  That  there  is  more  in  these 
senses,  as  they  exist  and  are  effective  in  mankind, 
than  there  is  in  them  as  they  exist  and  are  effective 
in  mere  animals — of  this  I  cannot  conceive  that  there 
is  a  shadow  of  doubt  in  any  sane  human  mind !  Fur- 
thermore, I  cannot  believe  that  any  thoughtful  per- 
son can  help  acknowledging,  in  all  these  cases  of 
life-expression  through  the  senses,  that  that  which 
is  exploited  on  the  plus  part  of  humanity  is  of  far 
greater  moment  than  that  which  demonstrates  itself 


122  Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

on  the  material  plane  alone.  I  cannot  think  that 
any  reasoning  and  reasonable  human  being  can  pos- 
sibly hold  to  the  belief  that  the  use  of  the  eyes  to 
keep  one  out  of  the  ditch  is  of  equal  value  in  the 
formation  of  human  character  with  the  use  of  sight 
for  beholding  what  mere  animal  eyes  can  never  see! 
That  the  exercise  of  eye-sight  on  its  esthetic  side  is 
of  more  value  to  mankind  than  is  its  utility  on  the 
material  plane  alone — of  this  there  can  be  no  differ- 
ence of  opinion  among  intelligent  and  fairminded 
people ! 

And  what  is  true  of  eye-sight  is  equally  true  of 
hearing;  you  know  that  as  well  as  I  do. 

But,  with  these  truths  established,  does  it  neces- 
sarily follow  that  the  principles  which  hold  good 
with  regard  to  the  plus  of  humanity  in  the  matters 
of  physical  appetite,  and  eye-sight  and  hearing,  that 
these  same  principles  will  rightfully  apply  to  sex,  as 
this  quality  exists  in  humanity?  That  is  the  su- 
preme question  in  what  I  am  trying  to  get  at,  and 
I  want  to  meet  it  fairly  and  squarely,  and  in  such 
manner  that  there  will  be  no  more  possibility  of 
doubting  the  conclusions  arrived  at  regarding  it, 
than  in  the  other  cases  upon  which  we  have  come  to 
mutual  and  undeniable  agreements. 

Now,  the  truthfulness  of  the  conclusions  reached 
in  these  concerns  in  the  cases  of  physical  appetite 
and  eye-sight  and  hearing,  is  all  based  first,  on  the 
experiences  that  have  come  to  mankind  from  the  ex- 


What  Ought  to  be  Done  in  these  Circwmstances  123 

ercise  of  these  faculties  on  the  line  of  the  plus  of  hu- 
mcmity.  The  theory  that  all  these  faculties  have  a 
use  that  is  of  value  to  the  plus  of  humcmity  has  been 
tried  out,  and  it  works!  Is  it  not  safe  to  trust  to 
the  experiences  of  humanity  in  the  matter  of  sex-ex- 
pression as  well,  and  to  form  conclusions  based  on 
such  inductive  method  of  arriving  at  the  truth? 

Civilized  humanity  has  demonstrated,  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  everybody  concerned,  that  table  furnish- 
ings and  all  the  additions  that  have  come  to  man- 
kind at  the  hands  of  desire  and  imagination  and  in- 
genuity,  in  connection  with  the  exploitation  of 
physical  appetite  for  food — that  all  such  increments, 
when  used  sanely  and  under  due  control  of  the  will, 
that  is  by  choice  and  not  by  chance,  have  made  for 
the  betterment  of  the  race,  along  all  the  lines  on 
which  it  is  capable  of  improvement.  The  same  is 
true  regarding  eye-sight  and  hearing.  By  the  ways 
of  using  eyes  and  ears,  mankind  has  proven  that  they 
have  a  practical  utility  far  and  away  beyond  that 
of  serving  merely  material  needs.  Is  it  not  fair  and 
safe  to  bring  sex-expression  and  its  influence  upon 
mankind  to  the  same  kind  of  proof,  and  to  form  con- 
clusions from  such  testimony  accordingly? 

Now,  by  their  modes  of  living  their  sex  lives,  it  is 
true,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  multitudes  of  men  and 
women,  all  over  the  world,  in  all  lands,  in  all  climes, 
and  in  all  ages  and  times,  have  demonstrated,  to 
their  complete  satisfaction,  at  least,  that  the  "affec- 


124         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

tional"  expression  of  their  sex  nature  is  not  only  pos- 
sible, but  that  such  manner  of  life  has  made  for  the 
development  and  up-building  of  their  entire  human 
existence,  physical,  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual.  To 
be  sure,  these  people  have  been  obliged,  for  the  most 
part,  to  live  as  they  have  lived  their  lives  in  this  re- 
spect, under  the  most  unpropitious  of  conditions — 
conditions  under  which  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
realize  what  the  truth  actually  was.  They  have  been 
taught,  and  practically  forced  to  believe,  that  all  af- 
fectional  sex  manifestation  was  not  only  wrong,  but 
that  it  was  degrading  and  debasing,  if  not  a  positive 
sin.  And  these  teachings  have  come  from  those 
whom  they  were  bound  to  respect,  and  to  look  up  to 
with  the  most  perfect  faith  and  unbounded  rever- 
ence, if  not  with  awe  and  fear! 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  all  these  hindrances,  handi- 
caps, forbiddings,  condemnations  and  threatenings, 
the  universal  manner  of  living  among  married  men 
and  women,  in  all  times  and  everywhere,  has  been 
contrary  to  what  they  have  been  taught  and  to  what 
they  were  supposed  to  believe! 

And  the  wonderful  fact  about  all  this  is,  that, 
where  husbands  and  wives  have  mutually  agreed  in 
these  matters,  they  are  convinced,  in  spite  of  all  these 
drawbacks,  of  the  real  rightfulness  and  righteousness 
of  their  manner  of  living !  They  knoWy  hy  their  own 
experiences,  that  the  affectional  expression  of  sex- 
life  has  made  for  their  well-being  in  more  ways  than 


What  Ought  to  be  Done  m  these  Circumstances   125 

they  can  number.  Under  these  conditions,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  such  manner  of  life  has  persisted 
in  spite  of  all  that  has  been  done  to  make  it  impos- 
sible, and,  further,  that  it  has  been  maintained  by 
the  hest  men  and  women  in  all  the  world,  all  the  time, 
(the  fathers  and  mothers  are  the  people  who  have 
so  lived),  I  say,  is  it  not  tremendously  significant, 
must  there  not  be  an  undeniable  meaning  to  these 
things?  Do  not  the  experiences  of  these  sane  and 
wholesome  men  and  women  mean  something  that  is  of 
genuine  importance  to  mankind?  It  would  certainly 
seem  so  to  every  one  who  is  capable  of  right  think- 
ing. 

Oh,  to  be  sure,  there  are  multitudes  of  men  and 
women,  husbands  and  wives  (especially  wives),. who 
have  not  agreed  in  these  affairs.  But  these  are  they 
(they  are  mostly  wives)  whose  deep-seated  beliefs, 
which  have  resulted  from  their  early  and  often-re- 
peated instructions  in  these  affairs,  have  led  them 
to  attempt  to  make  their  manner  of  living  conform 
to  what  they  have  been  taught.  They  really  look 
upon  the  whole  subject  as  taboo,  and  wish  that  this 
part  of  their  natures  might  be  totally  destroyed, 
never  to  be  resurrected.  Among  these,  reproduction 
is  held  to  be  the  sole  purpose  of  sex,  and  any  other 
form  of  its  expression  is  sin.  And  there  are  many 
such.  The  question  is,  whether  or  not  they,  or 
those  who  hold  an  opposite  view,  are  correct  ? 

It  almost  goes  without  saying  that  married  peo- 


126         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

pie  who  hold  to  such  limited  beliefs,  and  who  attempt 
to  put  them  into  practice,  are  nowhere  nearly  as 
happy  in  the  married  relation  as  those  of  the  other 
class  I  have  mentioned.  They  are  much  fuller  of 
trouble,  their  dispositions  are  far  less  sweet,  and 
life  has  far  less  joy  for  them,  in  multitudes  of  ways. 
As  a  rule,  their  health  is  not  so  good  (in  many  cases 
this  factor  is  very  pronounced)  and  their  lives  are, 
on  an  average,  shorter  than  those  of  happily  married 
people.  All  these  things  are  true  of  both  the  hus- 
bands and  the  wives  whom  man  only,  and  not  God 
at  all,  has  joined  together!  Statistics  may  not  be 
procurable  to  prove  this,  but  what  we  all  know  of 
our  own  knowledge,  does  prove  it,  beyond  perad- 
venture.  I  shall  have  readers  of  both  these  classes, 
who  can  verify  my  statements  by  their  own  experi- 


ences 


For  myself,  I  have  been  making  personal  observa- 
tions and  studies  along  this  special  line  for  nearly 
half  a  centurj^  and  the  conclusions  I  have  just  stated 
are  based  on  what  I  have  discovered  in  these  inves- 
tigations. In  pursuing  this  work,  I  have  been  aided 
by  the  voluntary  assistance  of  a  large  number  of 
good  men  and  women,  husbands  and  wives,  who  have 
freely  and  honestly  disclosed  to  me  their  most  inti- 
mate experiences  in  these  vital  affairs  of  their  lives, 
and  to  them  all,  both  you  and  I  are  greatly  indebted 
for  knowledge  that  could  have  been  secured  in  no 
other  way.     They  are  pioneers  in  this  great  cause; 


What  Ought  to  he  Done  in  these  Circumstances   127 

and  like  all  those  who  form  the  front  rank  of  prog- 
ress, they  have  been  willing  to  sacrifice  something, 
yes,  ever  so  much,  for  the  sake  of  those  who  are  to 
follow  along  the  trail  they  have  blazed  through  a 
jungle  and  an  unknown  way!  I  want  to  thank  all 
these,  right  here,  for  their  bravery  and  their  self- 
sacrifice.  For  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  let  any  other 
human  being  into  the  most  secret  and  the  most  sacred 
of  the  experiences  of  life.  Think  how  it  would  be 
in  your  own  case,  and  then  you  will  appreciate  my 
tribute  to  these  whom  you  will  never  know  person- 
ally, but  to  whom  we  are  all  indebted  beyond  the 
possibility  of  value-received  payment! 

And,  added  to  what  testimony  I  have  gathered  at 
the  hands  of  these  good  people,  I  have  been  further 
assisted  in  my  researches  as  I  have  previously  noted, 
by  a  large  number  of  physicians,  clergymen,  and 
lawyers,  the  three  classes  of  professional  men  and 
women  who  know  more  of  these  special  human  ex- 
periences than  any  other,  since  they  are  oftenest  con- 
sulted in  these  intimate  affairs  of  human  life  and 
living;  and  all  that  I  have  gathered  from  all  these 
sources  (and  the  amount  is  voluminous)  confirms  the 
conclusions  which  I  have  arrived  at  from  my  own 
personal  observations.  All  this  testimony  goes  to 
show  that  sex-expression  in  the  human  species  has 
two  rightful  modes  of  utilization,  namely,  the  repro- 
ductive and  the  affectional,  and  that  the  exercise  of 
both  of  these  tends,  positively,  to  the  best  interests 


128         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

and  well-being  of  the  parties  concerned.  So  much 
for  the  argument  on  the  line  of  experience. 

Again  (for  the  case  I  am  presenting  is  so  en- 
trenched in  the  minds  of  the  average  reader,  that  is, 
the  public,  that  its  ancient  stronghold  will  not  yield 
to  any  single  assault)  what  I  said  in  an  early  chap- 
ter about  *^desirey  imagination  and  ingenuity^**  is  of 
special  application  on  this  point.  Amongst  all  nor- 
mal husbands  and  wives,  those  whose  natures  have 
not  been  warped  and  changed  by  wrong  teachings, 
the  desire  for  sex-expression  other  than  for  repro- 
ductive purposes  alone,  is  practically  universal!  I 
base  this  statement  on  conclusions  I  have  reached 
from  testimony  that  I  have  gatliered  by  my  own  in- 
vestigations, and  that  which  I  have  received  from 
these  professional  classes  I  have  recently  mentioned. 
The  great  bulk  of  all  such  testimony  makes  for  such 
conclusions,  beyond  peradventure. 

To  cover  the  whole  case,  exceptions  must  be  noted, 
and  I  therefore  add  that  there  are  a  number  of  wives 
m  whom  such  desire  is  at  a  very  low  ebb,  and  some- 
times it  appears  to  be  entirely  wanting;  but  a  study 
of  these  cases  has  gone  to  prove  that  such  condi- 
tion, when  it  exists,  is  one  of  sophistication  and  ab- 
normality; and  the  probabilities  are  many  to  one 
that  it  is  caused  by  wrong  teaching  in  youth,  rather 
than  from  innate  nature.  The  cases  are  very  rare 
where  there  are  exceptions  to  this  rule,  when  all 
the    facts    are   known.     Such    a    condition    among 


What  Oioght  to  be  Don^  m  these  Circumstances   129 

women  is  known  among  physicians  as  "anaesthetic," 
and  it  is  claimed  by  those  best  posted  in  this  par- 
ticular, that  practically  all  modern  wives  among 
those  who  are  counted  as  of  "the  better  classes"  are 
subject,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  to  this  state  of 
body  or  of  mind.  But  all  the  probabilities  are  that 
this  state  of  being  is  more  of  a  mental  than  it  is  of 
a  physical  condition,  though  the  whole  matter  is  so 
complicated  that  it  is  quite  frequently  next  to  an 
impossibility  to  determine  its  real  basis  of  action,  or 
lack  of  action,  in  any  particular  case. 

It  is  for  these  reasons  that,  in  determining  what 
the  normal  desires  of  wives  really  are,  the  negative 
testimony  of  the  class  just  mentioned  is  of  small 
value  in  obtaining  a  correct  conclusion,  since  the 
probabilities  are  that  such  condition  is,  as  I  have 
already  said,  a  sophisticated  and  not  a  natural  one. 
We  all  know  the  tremendous  influence  that  early 
teachings  have  upon  the  formation  of  persistent  ways 
of  thinking,  believing  and  acting  in  later  life.  And 
we  are  all  equally  aware  of  the  fact  that  all  the 
teaching  that  is  given  to  children  along  these  lines, 
especially  to  girls,  where  any  at  all  is  given,  is  of 
the  inhibitive  or  annulling  sort !  If  any  little  girl, 
yielding  to  her  natural  childish  impulses, -pets  or 
fondles  a  little  boy  playmate,  the  finger  of  every 
adult  female  who  witnesses  such  act  is  pointed  in 
scorn  at  the  child,  and  the  words,  "shamie!  shamie!" 
are  invariably  hissed  at  the  really  innocent  offender ! 


130         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

This  is  only  one  of  many  similar  acts  on  the  part 
of  grown  up  people  that  tend  to  warp,  distort  and 
thwart  the  natural  conditions  and  developments  of 
modem  adolescent  and  adult  feminine  human  beings, 
especially  in  so-called  Christian  lands.  Added  to 
these  abnormal  suggestions  and  instructions  are,  in 
many  cases,  the  prudish  and  Puritanical  influences 
that  emanate  from  Female  Colleges,  seminaries,  etc., 
many  of  which  are  presided  over  by  women  who, 
either  by  nature  or  training,  are  anaesthetic,  or  at 
least  profess  to  be  so,  and  who,  in  any  event,  teach 
accordingly.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  conditions 
under  which  girls  and  young  women  live,  where  thus 
segregated  in  such  schools,  is  abnormal,  and  wholly 
contrary  to  the  natural  order  of  sane  and  wholesome 
development  and  living. 

Again:  The  undue  strain  and  stress  of  intense 
mental  application  to  which  so  many  of  the  young 
women  of  this  age  are  subjected,  have  a  tendency 
to  extinguish  and  kill  out  the  natural  and  normal 
impulses  and  desires  of  those  who  are  subjected  to 
such  manner  of  life.  To  the  prudish  and  Puri- 
tanical, such  extinction  is  counted  as  of  great  merit ; 
when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  the  very  reverse  of 
this!  It  is  a  generally  recognized  fact  among 
physicians  that,  in  many  cases,  such  training  results 
in  nervous  disturbances  on  the  part  of  the  victims 
of  such  methods  of  intellectual  intensification,  which 
manifest  themselves  in  a  multitude  of  ways.     This 


What  Oitght  to  be  Done  m  these  Circumstances  131 

is  not  infrequently  shown  in  the  cases  of  these  women 
who  marry,  who,  as  a  rule,  bear  few  children,  and, 
with  rare  exceptions,  are  unable  to  nurse  their  babies 
from  their  own  breasts.  That  such  results  should 
be  counted  as  worthy  and  desirable  is  almost  beyond 
belief;  and  yet  they  are  generally  so  esteemed 
amongst  those  who  are  reckoned  as  constituting  "the 
better  classes."  But,  when  considered,  or  measured, 
by  the  standard  of  righteousness,  such  results  are 
not  only  abnormal,  but  they  are  an  abomination  in 
the  sight  of  all  that  is  natural  and  as  it  should  be. 
Such  views  of  what  is  right  in  these  premises  are 
the  product  of  narrow  and  dogmatic  conceptions  of 
the  human  body,  and  its  normal  functionings  on  the 
part  of  those  whose  whole  programme  of  ethics  is 
negative — a  mere  series  of  antis,  and  don'ts  and 
Thou  shalt  nots ! 

It  is  not  at  all  pleasant  to  write  it  so,  but  the  fact 
is  that  such  conditions  and  teachings  obtain,  in 
large  degree,  among  the  church-taught  peoples.  If 
only  these  same  people  would  follow  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Book  they  so  much  revere  (and  of  right 
they  revere  it)  in  which  it  is  written  "But  now  hath 
God  set  the  members,  evert/  one  of  them  in  the  body, 
as  it  hath  pleased  him,"  they  would  come  much 
nearer  correct  living,  both  in  theory  and  in  prac- 
tice, than  now  they  do ! 

Truth  to  tell,  the  enlightened  soul  of  today  has 
come  to  realize  that  asceticism,  especially  when  car- 


132         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

Tied  to  an  extreme,  does  not  result  in  the  highest 
form  of  individual  character.  And,  not  to  give  this 
part  of  the  present  study  too  much  of  a  religious 
trend,  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  this  principle  of 
the  wholesome  use  of  bodily  functions  and  endow- 
ments, rather  than  their  annihilation  and  extinction, 
is  in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ,  of 
whom  it  is  written  that  "He  came  both  eating  and 
drinking";  and  that  he  was  temperate  in  all  things, 
and  neither  greedy  nor  totally  inhibitive  in  any  case 
is  a  matter  of  history.  The  ascetics  of  ancient  days 
are  no  longer  counted  as  the  greatest  among  men 
and  women;  and  the  fact  that  negation  alone  never 
led  to  human  progress  and  positive  results  is  uni- 
versally acknowledged  by  all  sane-thinking  people. 
Use  and  not  abuse  is  the  constant  law  of  right  living 
and  of  wholesome  growth  for  all  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  men ;  and  the  principle  applies  to  all  the 
qualities  and  faculties  which  go  to  make  up  the 
totality  of  human  belongings. 

In  these  days  when  the  idea  of  democracy  is  so 
universally  in  evidence  and  plead  for,  it  is  only  in 
point  to  note  that  the  human  body  is  a  democracy 
and  not  a  monarchy,  and  that  the  world  should  be 
made  safe  for  it,  as  sucli !  The  fact  is  that  every 
composite  whole  which  is  made  up  of  a  number  of 
different  parts,  each  one  of  which  contributes  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  complete  organization,  is  a^ democ- 
racy.    And  in  every  well-ordered  composite  organ- 


What  Ought  to  be  Don€  m  these  Circwmstances  133 

ism  each  part  has  its  rightful  place  and  its  right  to 
function  according  to  the  relative  position  it  holds 
as  regards  the  total  whole.  Under  these  conditions, 
it  is  not  right  that  any  one  part  of  any  such  or- 
ganism should  set  itself  up  as  superior  to  all  the 
rest,  and  should  try  to  rule  them  all,  and  make  them 
all  subject  to  its  authority.  And  this  is  specially 
true  of  the  democracy  of  the  human  body !  In  such 
democracy,  it  ill  becomes  the  belly,  for  instance,  to 
set  itself  up  as  the  ruler  of  all  the  rest  of  the  human 
make-up,  and  to  insist  that  all  besides  itself  should 
minister  solely  to  its  desires  for  meat  and  drink. 
Nor  should  sex  be  permitted  to  lord  it  ruthlessly 
over  the  fellow-members  among  whom  it  is  only  one. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  by  no  means  in  harmony 
with  this  idea  of  the  democracy  of  the  body  that  the 
brain,  or  the  soul,  if  you  will,  should  set  itself  up 
as  the  monarch  of  all  it  surveys,  and  try  to  put  into 
slavery  to  its  dictates  any  or  all  other  bodily  func- 
tions or  powers !  Much  less  should  it  be  permitted 
to  annihilate  or  to  exterminate  any  God-given  qual- 
ity in  the  body  all  of  whose  members  He  hath  set 
therein  "as  it  hath  pleased  Him,^'  to  refer  again  to 
the  quotation  from  the  Bible  which  I  made  a  few 
paragraphs  back.  Indeed,  to  try  to  destroy  and 
make  of  none  effect  any  quality  or  faculty  which 
God  has  placed  in  the  body  and  whose  rightful  func- 
tioning experience  has  proved  is  essential  to  the  well- 
being  of  the  body  itself  and  of  the  soul  which  dwells 


134«         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

tlierein — to  do  this,  or  attempt  to  do  tliis,  is  "med- 
dling with  nature's  ways"  in  a  manner  which  is  a 
sin  of  the  first  magnitude,  and  an  abomination  in 
the  sight  of  gods  and  men!  Let  those  who  have  so 
officiously,  not  to  say  piously,  dogmatized  by  the 
use  of  the  words  I  have  just  quoted,  and  which  I 
have  noted  in  a  previous  chapter,  consider  the 
righteousness  of  their  teachings  in  view  of  this  fact ! 
With  these  points  established,  namely,  that  all  tlie 
organs  and  properties  which  the  life-force  has  pro- 
duced should  be  used  according  to  their  original  in- 
tent and  purpose,  both  in  all  the  lower  and  higher 
forms  of  life,  mankind  included ;  and  the  further  con- 
clusion that  all  the  properties  which  man  possesses 
in  common  with  the  orders  of  life  below  him,  have,  of 
right,  a  double  form  of  expression,  namely  a  material 
and  a  super-material  form,  to  say  it  in  that  way; 
and  having  shown  that  all  these  conditions  arc  God- 
ordained,  we  arc  now  ready  to  declare  tliat  sex  in 
the  human  family  is  no  exception  to  this  rule,  but 
that  it  also  has  a  rightful  place  in  the  human  econ- 
omy, and  that  it  has  two  rightful  modes  of  expres- 
sion, namely,  the  reproductive  and  the  affectional, 
and  that  the  exercise  of  both  of  these  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  will  and  as  a  matter  of  choice  and  not 
of  chance  is  a  natural  and  a  wholesome  manner  of 
living  which  tends  to  the  growth  and  development  of 
normal  human  beings!  But,  having  come  so  far, 
we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  problem  of 


What  Ought  to  he  Done  m  these  Circumstances  135 

how  such  righteous  practice,  especially  in  the  mar- 
ried relation  of  men  and  women,  can  be  realized. 

In  reply  to  this  supreme  question  of  the  present 
discussion,  the  first  item  to  be  emphasized  is  one 
already  stated,  namely,  that  both  these  forms  of 
sex-expression  must  be  made  to  come  entirely  under 
the  control  of  the  will;  that  they  should  always  be 
matters  of  choice  and  not  of  chance;  and  that  they 
should  never  be  consummated  without  the  mutual 
consent  of  both  parties  concerned.  So  much  seems 
certain.  The  question  still  remains,  how  such  man- 
ner of  living  can  be  brought  about.  Let  us  con- 
sider the  reproductive  factor  in  the  problem  first. 

In  approaching  this  phase  of  the  issue,  namely, 
that  of  making  the  begetting  of  children  a  matter 
of  choice  and  not  of  chance,  it  is  well  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  the  reader  to  the  status  of  the  present  or- 
der of  things,  in  this  regard,  the  basic  facts  of  which 
are  now  as  follows: 

As  things  now  are,  not  only  is  chance  a  supreme 
factor  in  the  bringing  of  children  into  the  world, 
but  such  condition  is  made  practically  imperative 
and  permanent  by  the  enforcement  of  a  state  of  ig- 
norance in  the  premises,  which  is  buttressed  by  laws 
which  make  it  virtually  impossible  to  escape  from 
such  a  way  of  living!  As  the  laws  of  the  United 
States  now  stand  on  its  statute  books,  it  is  a  crime, 
punishable  by  both  fine  and  imprisonment,  for  any 
human  being  to  impart  to  any  other  human  being, 


136         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

any  knowledge  whatsoever,  which  will  result  in  mak- 
ing the  begetting  of  children  a  matter  of  choice 
rather  than  oi  chance.  A  condition  which  can  but 
result  in  the  maintenance  of  ignorance  in  this  mat- 
ter which  is  of  such  vital  importance.  This  fact 
may  not  be  generally  known  by  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  people  who  are  subject  to  such  legal  require- 
ments, but  that  the  law  is  as  here  stated,  is  certainly 
true.  It  goes  without  saying,  under  these  circum- 
stances, that  nothing  can  be  done  to  remedy  pres- 
ent conditions  until  these  laws  are  repealed !  I  shall 
discuss  in  a  later  chapter  the  many  and  various  rea- 
sons for  the  repeal  of  such  laws;  enough  to  say,  at 
this  point  in  my  argument,  that  they  must  be  re- 
moved from  our  statute  books  before  any  progress 
can  be  made  in  the  matter  of  begetting  children  by 
the  fathers  and  mothers  in  this  great  land  of  ours. 
With  the  repeal  of  such  laws,  the  whole  subject 
of  conception  in  the  human  species  should  be  made 
a  matter  of  scientific  study  and  investigation  by  the 
ablest,  the  most  learned  and  expert  men  and  women 
along  these  lines  that  the  world  contains;  and  the 
pursuit  of  such  quest  should  not  be  abandoned  until 
the  positive  and  definite  knowledge  is  attained  re- 
garding the  entirety  of  the  issue  in  hand.  That 
is,  definite,  practical  and  absolutely  reliable  means 
for  the  wilful  control  of  conception  in  the  human 
family  should  be  sought  and  found,  and  when  thus 
obtained,    such    knowledge    should    be    disseminated 


What  Ought  to  be  Done  m  these  Circwmstances  137 

amongst  all  classes  of  men  and  women  who  are  now 
endowed  with  the  right  and  privilege  of  bringing 
children  into  this  world! 

Now,  I  am  well  aware  that  this  is  a  radical  state- 
ment to  make,  under  present  conditions ;  and  I  ask 
my  readers  to  suspend  judgment  upon  it  for  the 
present,  and  to  hear  me  through,  before  forming 
a  final  opinion  as  to  its  truth  or  falsity.  All  I  care 
to  say  about  it  just  here  is,  that,  in  any  event,  it 
is  the  first  move  to  make  to  bring  about  the  possi- 
bility of  bringing  children  into  this  world  by  choice 
rather  than  by  chance,  and  that  is  the  main  issue 
under  consideration  in  this  treatise. 

As  to  just  how  such  knowledge  may  be  obtained, 
that  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  discussion.  That  is 
a  matter  for  experts  to  work  out.  But  this  thing 
is  true,  namely,  that  the  desire  of  millions  of  men 
and  women  goes  out  for  the  possession  of  such 
knowledge ;  their  imagination  regards  its  attainment 
as  a  possibility,  and  it  only  remains  for  the  inge- 
nuity of  wise  men  and  women  who  are  naturally  en- 
dowed with  special  ability  to  search  out  and  find  such 
knowledge,  to  attain  the  desired  result.  It  is  prac- 
tically a  similar  problem  to  that  presented  by  the 
presence  of  diphtheria  and  yellow  fever  in  the  world. 
These  diseases  existed  for  ages,  and  the  question 
was,  how  to  be  rid  of  them.  The  desires  of  man- 
kind demanded  their  extermination;  their  vmagvna- 
tions  conceived  it  possible  that  they  should  be  over- 


138         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

come ;  and  the  vngenvity  of  experts  resulted  in  their 
mastery.  In  a  similar  manner  the  mastery  of  sex- 
expression,  on  its  reproductive  side,  will  one  day 
be  secured,  and  then  the  begetting  of  children  will 
be  a  matter  of  choice  and  not  of  chance  as  it  now 
is,  but  not  before. 

Such  a  means  for  securing  this  result  must  be 
simple,  effective,  and  harmless  to  the  parties  wlio 
utilize  it.  To  find  such  may  be  no  easy  task,  most 
certainly  it  will  not  be ;  but  the  difficulties  that  con- 
front its  discovery  are  by  no  means  insurmountable 
when  seriously  attacked  by  the  genius  of  the  great 
men  who  will  some  day  undoubtedly  undertake  its 
finding-out.  Many  a  life  was  sacrificed  before  the 
mystery  of  the  cause  of  yellow  fever  was  discovered ; 
but  what  was  reached  for  was  finally  found,  and 
tropical  lands  where  once  this  deadly  plague  was 
supreme,  are  now  among  the  healthiest  spots  on  all 
the  globe!  There  is  an  analogy  here  that  is  both 
hopeful  and  comforting. 

So  much  as  to  what  needs  to  be  done  in  order  tliat 
conditions  of  choice  and  not  of  chance  may  obtain 
on  the  reproductive  side  of  sex-expression.  It  re- 
mains to  consider  what  will  follow  on  the  aifectional 
side  of  such  expression,  these  things  being  estab- 
lished. 

And  here,  let  it  again  be  urged  that  such  expres- 
sion has  a  rightful  place  in  the  economy  of  normal 
sex-living.     I  have  already  set  this  fact  forth  some- 


What  Ought  to  be  Done  m  these  Circumstances  139 

what  elaborately;  but  because  of  the  wide-extended 
and  generally-held  opinions,  or  teachings,  to  the 
contrary,  I  here  add  some  further  proofs  of  its  truth- 
fulness, as  follows : 

And  here,  probably  the  supreme  item  that  counts 
in  favor  of  such  an  order  of  living  is  the  fact  that 
the  universal  normal  desire  of  the  human  kind  goes 
out  in  this  direction.  All  normal  men  and  women 
long  for  such^expression  of  one  of  the  most  potent 
factors  in  all  their  beings.  More  than  this,  the 
experiences  of  millions  of  the  highest  types  of  the 
human  race  which  have  ever  lived  have  proven,  be- 
yond all  doubt,  that  such  manner  of  life  is  not  only 
possible,  but  that  it  tends  to  their  highest  develop- 
ment in  all  the  departments  of  their  being.  And  not 
only  is  this  true,  but  it  has  further  been  amply  dem- 
onstrated that  the  lack  of  such  affectional  expression 
tends  to  debilitate  and  weaken,  and  throw  out  of 
balance  whole  multitudes  of  men  and  women  who  are 
thus  deprived  of  an  essential  element  in  their  growth 
and  development.  This  is  another  fact  that  is  per- 
haps not  capable  of  statistical  proof,  but  it  is  one 
which  is  well  known  by  all  who  have  made  careful 
and  correct  investigations  along  these  lines;  and  is 
of  far  more  significance  than  is  generally  accorded 
by  the  rank  and  file,  who  have  long  been  kept  in 
ignorance  of  the  real  facts  in  the  premises.  How- 
ever, these  same  members  of  the  rank  and  file  are, 
very  many  of  them,  really  aware  of  the  situation, 


140  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Clioice 

especially  as  it  pertains  to  themselves,  only  they  do 
not  say  so! 

So  true  is  this  which  I  have  just  stated  that  a 
leading  expert  in  these  matters,  a  man  of  cool  judg- 
ment and  wide  exjjerience  in  the  study  of  such  cases, 
has  said  that  the  suppression,  or  the  attempted  sup- 
pression, of  the  sex-impulse,  on  the  affect ional  side, 
is  the  cause  of  more  suffering  and  woe  in  the  human 
family  than  is  excess  in  the  same  part  of  the  make-up 
of  mankind!  As  some  one  has  truly  said,  "sup- 
pression is  always  dangerous;  when  windows  are 
always  kept  shut,  the  house  soon  groVs  sour  and 
moldy."  Not  only  is  this  a  sane  general  principle, 
but  it  is  especially  in  point  in  tlie  case  of  sex-expres- 
sion on  the  affectional  side.  I  am  well  aware  that 
"one  swallow  does  not  make  a  summer,"  nor  will  a 
single  instance  prove  the  point  I  am  now  present- 
ing; nevertheless  "straws  show  which  way  the  cur- 
rent flows,"  and  here  is  a  straw  that  came  floating  on 
this  particular  stream  and  claimed  my  attention  as 
I  was  writing  this  morning,  as  follows:  I  quote  a 
few  lines  from  a  letter  which  came  to  my  desk  just 
now,  the  same  being  written  by  a  woman  who  is 
suffering  from  an  enforced  inability  to  express  hep- 
self  on  the  affectional  side  of  her  sex-nature.  She 
is  not  an  abnormal  woman,  not  from  a  low  class  of 
life.  On  the  contrary,  she  is  descended  from  a  long 
line  of  Puritan  ancestry,  and  is  herself  one  of  the 
best  educated  and  most  companionable  women  along 


What  Ought  to  he  Done  m  these  Circumstances  14il 

all  the  best  and  highest  interests  in  life,  I  have  ever 
known.  And  yet  she  writes:  "Every  day  I  am 
doing  battle  with  my  nerves,  which  are  still  badly 
upset  because  of  my  insistent  longing  for  what  I 
cannot  have,  namely,  the  satisfaction  of  the  affec- 
tional  side  of  my  sex-nature.  I  get  days,  or  parts 
of  days,  without  torment,  but  the  main  issue  is  con- 
stantly with  me,  in  greater  or  less  degree.  My 
nervousness  has  developed  into  muscular  contrac- 
tions which  are  a  torture  to  me  that  is  extremely 
painful.  These  are  as  automatic  as  the  beating  of 
my  heart,  and  the  only  way  I  can  control  them  is 
to  play  'dead  dog,'  all  over,  including  my  mind.  I 
still  wajit  what  I  need  as  much  as  ever,  and  it  is  a 
continual  and  wearing  task  to  exist  without  it."  If 
this  woman  were  a  hypochondriac,  or  a  degenerate, 
what  she  so  honestly  says  would  not  have  much  sig- 
nificance ;  but  she  is  none  of  these,  as  I  have  already 
said.  Nor  is  her  case  an  isolated  one,  as  multitudes 
of  her  sisters,  all  over  the  civilized  world,  could 
testify  if  they  dared  to  tell  the  truth  regarding  them- 
selves in  this  part  of  their  being.  And  it  is  because 
of  this  wide-spread  condition  amongst  women,  and 
much  more  so  among  men,  that  the  issue  I  am  now 
considering  is  so  important,  and  demands  the  at- 
tention and  helpfulness  which  the  situation  calls  for. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  am  writing  as  I  am. 

Not  only  is  it  true  that  untold  suffering  is  caused 
by   this   untoward    condition   of   affairs,   but   it   is 


142         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

equally  true  that  such  suppression  of  a  natural  func- 
tion of  the  human  body,  mind  and  soul,  has  resulted 
in  numerous  and  greatly-to-be-regretted  sexual  ab- 
errations on  the  part  of  large  numbers  of  men  and 
women.  To  name  and  describe  these  is  beyond  the 
scope  of  this  book,  but  they  are  well  known  to  all 
who  are  posted  in  the  science  of  right  living,  and 
volumes  have  been  written  which  deal  with  these  phe- 
nomena. Such  volumes  contain  the  record  of  trage- 
dies of  the  deepest  dye,  and  are  pathetic  and  sorrow- 
ful to  the  limit  of  human  possibility  to  endure  suf- 
fering. That  wholesome  and  righteous  relief 
should  be  obtained  for  these  afflicted  bodies  and 
souls  is  a  truth  that  needs  no  argument  to  establish. 
And  that  such  relief  could  be  obtained  if  the  science 
of  conception  in  the  human  family  were  mastered 
and  made  subject  to  choice  and  not  to  chance,  and 
such  definite  knowledge  were  universally  dissemi- 
nated, is  a  self -demonstrating  proposition.  Add  to 
this  an  intelligent  knowledge  and  practice  of  "The 
Art  of  Love'*  among  husbands  and  wives,  and  the 
problem  I  am  discussing  would  be  successfully  solved, 
beyond  peradventure.  However,  .to  make  such  as- 
sertion is  one  thing,  and  to  establish  it  by  unde- 
niable proofs  is  another  thing.  And  to  so  establish 
it  will  be  the  work  of  future  chapters. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  PROS  AND  CONS  OF  THE  ISSUES  INVOI.VED  IN  THE 
POSITION    JUST    TAKEN 

The  first  and  most  essential  point  to  be  deter- 
mined in  settling  the  issue  immediately  in  hand  is 
to  make  sure  of  what  is  absolutely  right  in  the  pre- 
mises, that  is,  to  find  out  what  the  true  law  of  life 
and  of  life  progress,  in  this  part  of  the  being  and 
make-up  of  normal  men  and  women,  is.  And  in  order 
to  do  this  successfully,  for  men  and  women  as  they 
go,  it  will  be  necessary  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
reader  to  certain  fundamental  facts  which  must  be 
brought  into  evidence  just  here;  the  first  of  which  is 
the  radical  difference  that  exists  between  what  is 
called  morality  and  what  is  really  right!  Or,  to 
phrase  the  matter  in  another  way,  the  first  item  in 
this  count  is  to  point  out  the  difference  between  mor- 
ality and  righteousness.  To  the  consideration  of  this 
difference,  the  following  paragraphs  are  herewith 
submitted : 

The  essential  difference  between  the  ultimate  sig- 
nificance of  these  words  is  readily  seen  when  their 
derivation  is  noted,  as  follows:     The  word,  morals, 

143 


144         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

is  derived  from  the  Latin  word  moresy  which  prim- 
arily means  custom,  or  habit.  That  is,  according  to 
its  original  meaning,  a  moral  act  was  one  that  was 
customary,  or  habitual ;  or,  to  put  it  into  more  mod- 
ern phrase,  it  was  something  that  everybody  did; 
and  to  this  meaning,  there  was  eventually  added  the 
idea  that  these  things  that  everybody  did  should  be 
of  such  nature  that  nobody  should  disapprove  of  the 
same.  That  is,  a  moral  act  is  one  which  a  person 
can  do  and  not  have  the  neighbors  find  fault  with  its 
doing  and  its  doer !  As  to  whether  such  act  is  really 
right  or  wrong,  when  brought  to  the  test  of  how  it 
really  affects  the  doer  in  body,  mind  or  estate,  this 
element  enters  not  a  whit  into  the  question  of  its 
morality.  In  a  word,  morality  is  simply  an  arbi- 
trary code  of  life  and  of  living  which  has  become 
established  by  custom,  and  which  has,  by  sheer  per- 
sistence of  its  long  being  what  it  is,  become  fixed  or 
"proper"  in  the  eyes  of  supposedly  good  people. 
That  is,  morality  is  "the  proper  thing"  and  immor- 
ality is  what  is  counted  tlie  reverse  of  this. 

And  now,  because  of  this  fact,  and  because,  acci- 
dentally, as  it  were,  here  and  there  some  acts  have 
met  with  approval  and  some  have  met  an  opposite 
fate,  and  because  the  world  is  large  and  its  people 
are  numerous,  and  because,  under  primitive  condi- 
tions, these  different  people  had  little  knowledge  of 
each  other  and  each  other's  doings — for  all  these 
reasons,  it  came  about  that  moralities  differed  in 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  145 

different  localities  and  among  different  peoples,  so 
that  what  was  considered  moral  in  one  place  would 
be  counted  immoral  in  another  place,  and  vice  versa. 
The  result  of  this  is  that  morality  is  really  a  matter 
of  locality,  or  of  geography,  if  you  will,  as  a 
moment's  consideration  will  readily  prove.  Let  a  few 
instances  in  point  be  noted,  just  here: 

In  ancient  Sparta,  it  was  a  moral  act  to  expose 
imperfectly  formed  babies  to  the  vultures  who  ate 
them  up !  In  modern  United  States  we  organize  soci- 
ties  to  take  special  care  of  such  children.  In  some 
sections  of  India,  to  this  day,  it  is  a  moral  act  to 
burn  a  widow  on  the  funeral  pyre  of  her  deceased 
husband;  but  the  English  who  now  rule  that  land, 
declare  such  act  immoral,  and  are  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  exterminate  such  practice.  In  many  locali- 
ties dancing  is  counted  as  immoral,  and  theater-going 
and  card-playing  are  included  in  the  same  list  of 
things  that  should  not  be  done  by  moral  people. 
When  I  was  a  boy,  if  a  woman  should  have  ridden 
through  the  streets  of  our  little  country  town  "cross- 
saddle"  she  would  have  been  counted  an  immoral 
woman,  and  have  been  banished,  unanimously,  from 
the  "good  society"  of  that  locality.  Now  a  side- 
saddle Is  a  "back  number,"  and  our  women  ride 
horses  astride,  and  our  girls  are  perfectly  at  home  on 
bicycles.    No  one  now  thinks  of  calling  such  immoral ! 

But  I  need  not  protract  these  illustrations.  We 
can  all  call  to  mind  similar  cases  without  number, 


146         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

and  every  such  case  is  only  another  proof  of  my 
original  contention,  namely,  that  morality  is  almost 
entirely  a  matter  of  geography. 

Again:  The  derivation  of  the  word  righteousness 
shows  its  essential  import  and  its  real  significance. 
This  word  comes  to  us  from  the  Anglo  Saxon  word, 
"recht,"  which  means  straight,  that  is,  that  which 
always  goes  in  one  and  the  same  direction,  and  in 
which  there  is  "no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of 
turning,"  to  use  a  forceful  phrase  which  has  an 
excellent  origin. 

Now,  measured  by  the  standard  of  righeousness, 
any  act  must  stand  or  fall  by  the  way  in  which  it 
tallies  with  the  eternal  and  never-varying  laws  that 
pertain  to  the  manner  of  doing,  and  the  results  which 
follow  the  doing,  of  such  act.  The  item  as  to  whether 
onlookers  approve  of  such  act  has  notliing  to  do 
with  the  case,  so  far  as  its  being  as  it  should  be  is 
concerned.  If  it  accords  with  the  eternal  laws  that 
apply  in  the  premises,  and  results  in  correct  and 
wholesome  outcomes,  that  is  all  that  is  required ;  and 
this  test  is  what  determines  the  real  status  of  any 
act,  as  right  or  wrong! 

Under  these  conditions,  it  is  clearly  evident,  with- 
out further  argument,  that  there  may  be  a  great 
difference  between  what  are  counted  moral  acts  and 
what  are  really  righteous  acts !  A  moral  act  may  be 
really  unrighteous,  and  a  really  righteous  act  may  be 
counted  immoral,  and  vice  versa.     But  before  God 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  147 

there  can  be  but  one  standard  of  measurement  for 
any  and  all  human  acts,  and  that  is  the  standard  of 
righteousness  and  not  of  morality.  Think  seriously 
of  this,  for  it  has  an  immense  significance  in  the 
matter  we  are  considering. 

Looking  still  further  into  the  matter  of  righteous- 
ness as  it  stands  related  to  human  actions,  note  this, 
namely,  that  the  rightness  or  wrongness  of  any  such 
act,  judged  by  its  results,  must  be  determined  by  the 
effect  such  act  produces  upon  the  object  upon  which 
it  "lands,"  so  to  speak;  and  note  further  that  the 
results  of  any  human  act  can  only  "land"  in  one  or 
both  of  two  places,  namely,  upon  the  individual  him- 
self or  upon  some  one,  or  something  other  than 
himself.  That  is,  everything  you  or  I  can  do  will 
either  affect  us  alone,  or  some  one  or  something  other 
than  ourselves,  or  all  of  us  together.  All  of  which 
means  that  the  righteousness  of  any  human  act, 
judged  by  its  results,  must  be  looked  for  in  the  effect 
it  produces  upon  that  upon  which  it  acts.  If  such 
result  makes  for  the  betterment  of  that  upon  which 
it  acts,  the  act  is  good,  or  righteous.  If  it  makes  for 
the  harm  or  undoing  of  what  it  acts  upon,  the  act  is 
bad  or  unrighteous.  And,  in  either  case,  neither 
custom  nor  what  the  neighbors  think,  has  anything 
to  do  with  the  real  righteousness  of  what  is  done,  one 
way  or  another  1  These  are  fundamental  principles 
which  should  always  be  kept  in  mind  when  determin- 
ing the  rightness  or  the  wrongness  of  any  human  act. 


148         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Especially  is  this  true  in  the  case  of  the  human  acts 
I  shall  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  before  we 
are  through  with  this  chapter. 

Just  to  get  the  reader  into  the  way  of  judging 
human  actions  by  this  standard  of  measurement,  let 
us  take  a  few  acts  that  I  have  previously  spoken 
about,  and  see  how  they  will  tally  under  such  treat- 
ment. For  instance,  take  as  simple  an  example  as 
that  of  the  manner  in  which  it  is  righteous  or 
unrighteous  for  a  woman  to  ride  a  horse !  There  are 
two  ways  in  which  the  manner  of  riding  may  result, 
namely,  its  effect  upon  the  woman  and  upon  the 
horse.  If  either  of  these  is  harmed  by  the  way  in 
which  the  riding  is  done,  such  act  is  unrighteous,  or 
bad.  If  one  or  both  are  benefited  the  act  is  righteous, 
or  good.  In  either  case,  what  the  neighbors  think 
about  it,  or  how  the  act  is  regarded  by  custom  or  by 
"good  society,"  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  case.  And 
all  the  other  human  acts  I  have  noted  in  this  chapter, 
and  all  that  you  or  any  can  think  of,  can  be  rightly 
judged  of,  and  their  rightness  or  wrongncss  deter- 
mined correctly  by  this  rule. 

Note  further,  that  the  ultimate  rightness  or 
wrongness  of  any  act  cannot  be  determined  by  any 
outside  "authority,"  that  is  by  what  some  person, 
or  any  number  of  persons,  more  or  less,  may  say 
about  it.  Nothing  is  right,  nor  can  be  made  right, 
simply  because  some  authority  declares  it  to  be  so, 
and  it  makes  little  difference,  in  the  final  round-up. 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  149 

what  such  alleged  "authority"  may  be,  whether  it  is 
some  single  individual  who  is  hedged  about  by  pomp 
and  circumstance,  or  is  a  mass  of  humanity,  as  repre- 
sented by  some  "law-making  body,"  or  a  "referen- 
dum" which  includes  all  the  people  in  the  world !  No 
one  of  these,  nor  all  of  them  together,  can  make  that 
right  which  is  essentially  wrong,  or  vice  versa!  Only 
those  acts  are  right  or  wrong  which,  both  as  to  cause 
and  effect,  are  grounded  in  the  ultimate  laws  that 
pertain  to  their  doing.  Or,  if  you  may  choose  to  say 
it  so,  (and  I  have  no  objection  to  your  saying  it  so) 
only  that  is  right  which  The  Maker  of  All  Things, 
the  Eternal  First  Cause  of  Everything,  has  made  to 
be  right !  The  only  thing  to  be  careful  about,  if  the 
proposition  is  put  in  this  way,  is  to  be  very  sure  as  to 
just  what  the  Maker  of  All  Things  has  made  to  be 
right,  before  passing  upon  any  given  act!  In  all 
ages  there  have  been  those  who  have,  of  their  own 
liking,  put  a  "thus  saith  the  Lord"  before  words 
which  really  had  nothing  behind  them  but  the  voice 
of  the  human  being  who  uttered  them !  Well  is  it  said 
in  the  Book:  "Prove  all  things!  Hold  fast  to  that 
which  is  good,"  and  Jesus  never  said  a  better  thing 
than :  "Why,  even  of  yourselves,  judge  ye  not  what 
is  right?"  That  is,  to  clinch  my  argument  just  here, 
it  behooves  all  of  us,  and  everybody,  to  get  down  to, 
and  find  out,  the  eternally  correct  order  of  things, 
as  originally  determined,  when  we  undertake  to  settle 
the  rightness  or  wrongness,  the  righteousness  or  the 


150         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

unrighteousness  of  any  human  act!  To  prove  the 
correctness  or  the  incorrectness  of  this  theory,  it 
might  be  well  for  the  reader  to  try  out  some  of  his  or 
her  own  acts,  when  judged  by  this  rule.  Ask  your- 
self the  question,  and  answer  it  truthfully :  Does  this 
act  of  mine  originate  in  a  correctly-grounded  law  of 
my  being,  or  is  it  only  an  expression  of  what  I  want, 
regardless  of  anything  but  my  own  desire ;  and  does 
the  effect  that  it  produces  result  in  the  betterment  or 
the  harm  of  myself,  or  of  any  other  individual  or 
thing  upon  which  it  "lands"?  Try  out  a  few  of  your 
own  acts  by  this  rule,  and  see  how  you  come  out,  and 
then  you  will  be  in  good  shape  to  pass  judgment  upon 
the  special  conclusions  that  I  shall  come  to  before 
this  chapter  is  done. 

But  before  you  do  this,  let  me  make  one  more  sug- 
gestion which  will  help  you  to  render  just  judgment 
in  what  you  are  about  to  decide  upon,  as  follows : 

I  have  said  that  the  result  of  any  human  act  can 
only  "land"  on  one  or  both  of  two  objectives,  namely, 
yourself,  or  some  person  or  thing  other  than  your- 
self. Now  add  to  this,  that  such  result  can  only 
express  itself  for  good  or  ill  in  the  effect  it  produces 
upon  the  physicaly  the  mental  or  the  spirit u-al  make- 
up of  the  individual  it  lands  upon !  All  that  makes 
up  yourself  or  any  other  being  is  composed  of  one  or 
all  of  these  three  elements,  body,  mind  and  spirit. 
These  three  things  make  up  all  there  is  of  anybody, 
and  the  only  way  in  which  anybody  can  be  affected, 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  151 

in  any  way,  must  be  through  one  or  more  of  these 
parts  of  one's  being.  Some  acts  of  ours  will  only 
affect  the  physical  part  of  human  beings.  The 
instance  I  have  cited  as  to  the  manner  in  which  a 
woman  should  ride  a  horse  is  such  a  case,  where  only 
the  material  quality  of  the  rider  is  involved.  The 
only  question  to  be  considered  in  this  case,  so  far  as 
the  woman  is  concerned,  is,  what  manner  of  riding 
best  suits  the  physical  comfort  and  well-being  of  the 
rider  ?  And  a  similar  question  might  rightly  be  asked 
regarding  the  horse,  but  that  need  not  be  considered 
here. 

But  there  are  other  acts  of  ours  that  go  far 
beyond  the  mere  physical  part  of  a  human  being's 
make-up,  and  involve  not  only  the  mental,  but  also 
the  spiritual  well-  or  ill-being  of  such.  The  use  of 
spirituous  liquors  might  serve  as  a  somewhat  crude 
illustration  on  this  point,  as  it  is  a  well-established 
fact  that  such  use,  especially  when  carried  to  the 
extreme  of  drunkenness,  does  affect  the  physical,  the 
mental  and  the  spiritual  status  of  the  user.  Here,  no 
ghost  need  come  from  the  grave  to  tell  us  that  the  use 
of  alcohol,  at  least  when  carried  to  such  excess,  does 
result  in  the  harm  of  the  user  in  all  three  of  these 
qualities  of  his  nature.  In  judging,  then,  of  the 
righteousness  or  unrighteousness  of  getting  drunk, 
the  issue  is  settled  as  unrighteous,  because  it  harms 
the  individual  who  indulges  in  such  act,  in  his  physi- 
cal, his  mental  and  his  spiritual  being.     The  issue  as 


152         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

to  the  morality  or  immorality  of  getting  drunk,  that 
is,  of  the  custom  itself,  or  of  what  people  think  about 
it,  cuts  no  figure  in  the  case  at  all.  The  sole  point 
to  be  considered  is  how  it  affects  the  individual  upon 
whom  such  act  "lands." 

All  this  is  undeniably  true,  and  the  principles  it 
involves  are  equally  forceful  in  judging  the  rightness 
or  the  wrongness  of  any  and  all  human  acts.  In  a 
word,  it  is  not  the  morality  of  such  acts,  tliat  is, 
what  is  customary,  or  what  people  think  about  tliem 
wliich  is  the  final  arbiter  in  such  cases ;  but  how  the 
physical,  the  mental  or  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
party,  or  parties,  concerned,  one  or  all,  are  affected 
thereby.  I  repeat,  for  emphasis,  that  in  no  other 
way  than  in  one  or  all  of  these  three,  can  any  act  or 
acts  of  any  one  human  being,  or  of  any  number  of 
human  beings,  affect  any  one  or  all  of  mankind! 
Tliese  principles  are  of  universal  application  in  test- 
ing the  righteousness  or  the  unrighteousness  of  all 
the  acts  of  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men,  in  all 
times  and  in  all  places,  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Keep  these  principles  in  mind,  in  addition  to  the  ones 
I  first  laid  down,  when  you  are  judging  the  rightness 
or  the  wrongness  of  your  own  acts  or  those  of  your 
neiglibors !  And  remember,  too,  that  the  force  of  the 
Golden  Rule  comes  in  just  here,  namely,  that  you 
do  unto  others  (especially  in  the  affairs  we  are  now 
considering)  as  you  would  have  others  do  unto  you. 
Now  judge  a  few  of  your  own  acts  by  these  princi- 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  153 

pies !  And  when  you  have  done  this,  do  not  forget  to 
keep  all  these  principles  in  mind,  when  you  come  to 
judge  the  conclusions  I  shall  finally  come  to  in  what 
I  am  writing! 

Having  thus  laid  what  seems  to  me  a  broad  and 
deep  and  sure  foundation  for  the  particular  struc- 
ture I  purpose  to  erect  upon  it,  let  us  proceed  to 
build  that  structure  as  follows: 

The  "Pros  and  Cons"  to  be  considered  in  this 
chapter  relate  especially  and  specifically  to  the  right- 
ness  or  wrongness  of  the  two  ways  of  sex-expression 
in  the  human  family.  These  two  modes  of  expression 
are,  as  I  have  said  many  times,  first,  that  of  repro- 
duction, which  mankind  holds  in  common  with  all 
other  life-forms;  and,  second,  that  of  "afFectional" 
sex-expression,  which  the  forms  of  life  below  him 
know  nothing  about.  That  these  two  forms  of  sex- 
expression  exist  in  the  human  family  we  all  know. 
The  questions  to  be  settled  regarding  one  or  both  of 
them  is  the  rightness  or  the  wrongness  of  such 
expression,  and  in  answering  such  questions  my 
purpose  is  to  prove  the  case,  or  cases,  one  way  or 
the  other,  by  the  application  of  the  rule  that  I  have 
just  laid  down  for  determining  the  righteousness  or 
unrighteousness  of  human  actions.  Let  us  first 
address  ourselves  to  the  reproductive  form  of  sex- 
expression  : 

And  in  order  to  deal  fairly  with  this  question,  it  is 
necessary  first,  to  have  a  comprehensive  knowledge 


164         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  just  how  it  is  that  the  reproduction  of  life-forms 
is  brought  about.  It  would  seem  that  such  knowledge 
ought  to  be  a  universal  possession,  at  this  time  in 
the  world's  history ;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  an 
item  of  almost  universal  ignorance,  especially  as  it 
pertains  to  the  human  family !  And  such  ignorance 
is  especially  pronounced  among  "the  female  of  the 
species,"  married  and  unmarried,  (especially  the 
latter)  because  it  is  not  considered  "wise"  nor 
**proper"  for  these  to  know  about  such  things ! 
Especially  is  it  held  that  these  latter,  unmarried 
females,  should  be  kept  "innocent"  along  these  lines. 
To  call  things  by  their  right  names,  these  young 
people  are  kept  IGNORANT,  instead  of  innocent,  a 
condition  that  has  resulted  in  untold  harm,  all 
through  the  ages,  to  the  parties  who  have  been  the 
victims  of  such  an  untoward  state,  of  these  essential 
affairs  that  pertain  to  human  life.  And  it  can  be 
said,  with  equal  truthfulness,  that  comparatively  few 
meny  married  or  unmarried,  have  any  definite  knowl- 
edge regarding  the  reproduction  of  life-forms,  and 
their  IGNORANCE  is  especially  dense  as  it  applies 
to  the  human  species. 

No  one,  not  even  the  wisest,  knows  all  about  these 
things ;  but  there  is  enough  known  to  make  the  pos- 
session of  such  knowledge  of  value  to  every  intelli- 
gent human  being.  It  is  knowledge  of  this  sort  that 
I  shall  proceed  to  consider.  It  is  for  this  reason, 
namely,  the  IGNORANCE  of  humanity  along  these 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issv£s  Involved  155 

lines,  that  I  am  compelled  to  stop,  right  here,  and 
explain  these  things,  if  I  am  to  get  any  results  that 
are  worth  while  from  the  readers  of  this  book,  take 
them  by  and  large.  And  it  is  for  the  "by  and  large" 
that  I  am  writing!  Did  not  Jesus  say  well  when  he 
said :  "I  come  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners 
to  repentance"?  Those  who  know  all  about  these 
things  need  not  read  what  I  am  writing ;  but  the  list 
of  such  is  so  small  as  to  be  almost  a  negligible  item 
on  this  count ! 

Here,  then,  is  a  statement  of  the  essential  facts 
regarding  the  reproduction  of  life-forms  in  this 
world : 

All  life-forms  are  composed  of  cells  which  make  up 
the  material  bodies  of  what  is  thus  built  up.  These 
cells,  when  complete,  consist  of  two  parts,  a  positive 
and  a  negative,  and  both  of  these  must  be  present  in 
order  that  the  cell  may  be  effective  and  do  the  work 
which  it  exists  to  perform.  If  either  of  these  ele- 
ments, the  positive  or  the  negative,  is  lacking,  the  cell 
is  practically  dead;  anyhow,  it  is  incapable  of  pro- 
ducing any  results  whatsoever!  Such  a  cell,  or  a 
cell  in  this  condition,  is  spoken  of  as  "infertile."  But, 
given  these  two  elements,  the  cells  increase  and 
multiply,  and  cause  more  like  themselves  to  be,  and 
it  is  by  means  of  such  increase  of  cell-multiplications 
that  all  life-forms  grow  and  become  what  they  are. 

Now,  there  is  an  old,  a  very  old  Latin  phrase  (for 
the  ultimate  fact  in  this  matter  has  been  known  for 


156  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

a  long  time.  The  only  trouble  is,  that  it  has  been 
known  to  a  very  few,  and  that  such  knowledge  has 
been  systematically  kept  from  the  very  many,  for 
ages  and  ages.)  which  reads,  omne  vivum  ex  ovo, 
which,  in  plain  English  means:  Every  living  thing 
comes  from  an  Ggg'^  which  is  only  another  way  of 
saying  that  every  living  thing  comes  from  a  cell.  For 
an  eggy  any  egg,  is  nothing  but  a  cell !  Of  course, 
We  all  know  that  there  are  infinite  varieties  of  eggs, 
so  far  as  their  forms  are  concerned;  but  all  eggs  are 
alike  in  one  respect,  namely,  that  they  each  contain 
a  single  cell,  or  half  of  a  complete  single  cell,  to  be 
exact,  which,  in  itself,  possesses  only  one  of  the  ele- 
ments which  goes  to  make  up  a  productive  cell,  which 
can  cause  more  cells  to  be.  Such  original  cell  in  an 
(tgg  as  it  is  at  first  produced,  may  be  considered  a 
positive  or  a  negative,  but  it  is  only  one  of  these,  and 
so  long  as  it  remains  just  this,  and  nothing  more,  it 
is  practically  lifeless,  and  wholly  inefficient  so  far  as 
producing  any  further  life-forms  is  concerned. 

On  the  other  hand,  for  every  egg  that  is  produced 
in  this  single  cell  form,  there  is  provided  a  mate,  as 
it  were ;  that  is,  a  positive  for  its  negative,  or  a  nega- 
tive for  its  positive,  so  to  speak ;  and  it  is  by  a  union 
of  these  two  elements,  one  of  which  exists  originally 
within  the  egg,  and  the  other  of  which  has  its  being 
outside  the  cgg^,  that  the  egg-cell  is  made  efficient  and 
able  to  do  what  it  had  no  ability  to  do  before  such 
union  was  effected.    This  union  of  these  two  elements 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  157 

which  are  essential  to  the  efficiency  of  an  egg,  is 
called  fertilization ;  and  every  egg  must  be  fertilized 
by  merging  into  itself  an  opposite,  something  which 
comes  from  its  proper  mate,  before  it  can  become 
efficient  for  life's  uses.  But,  once  fertilized,  every 
egg  possesses  the  possibility  of  causing  more  to  be,  of 
the  same  kind  as  that  which  produced  itself.  This  is 
a  very  simple  statement  of  what  takes  place  in  all 
reproduction  of  life-forms,  of  every  sort  and 
description. 

Now  there  are  some  life-forms  which  possess,  in  a 
single  body,  the  power  of  producing  both  the  positive 
and  the  negative  elements  of  cells ;  that  is,  they  can 
produce  eggs  and  that  which  fertilizes  eggs,  all  from 
the  same  body ;  but,  even  in  these,  such  positives  and 
negatives  are  produced  apart  from  each  other  to 
start  with,  and  their  union  takes  place  farther  along 
in  their  mutually  separate  existence.  In  other  cases, 
the  single-celled  egg  is  produced  in  one  life-form  and 
its  fertilizing  mate  is  produced  in  another  life-form, 
and  these  two  elements,  thus  produced  apart,  must  be 
united  before  fertilization  can  take  place.  Many 
flowers  are  fine  illustrations  of  the  first  of  these, 
though  all  flowers  are  not  built  on  this  plan.  An 
apple  blossom  is  of  the  sort  in  which  both  these 
qualities  are  contained  in  a  single  life-form.  At*  the 
base  of  each  apple  blossom  there  is  a  little  pocket, 
so  to  say,  in  which  there  is  produced  a  tiny  apple-egg 
waiting  to  be  fertilized  and  so  to  bring  about  the 


158  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

growth  of  an  apple  and  apple-seeds  from  which  more 
apple-trees  and  apples  may  come  in  turn.  Up  from 
this  little  apple-pocket,  there  grows  a  small  tube, 
which  extends  as  far  as  the  top  of  the  apple  blossom 
and  which  is  capped,  or  topped,  by  a  little  mouth, 
or  wider  opening  into  the  tube  which  leads  to  the 
egg-pocket.  All  around  this  tube  there  stand  little 
projections  from  the  center  of  the  blossom  which 
bear  the  vitalizing  material  which  the  apple-egg 
needs  for  its  fertilization.  This  material  is  like  a 
very  fine  powder,  or  dust,  and  is  called  pollen.  It  is 
composed  of  an  almost  infinite  number  of  little  pollen 
grains,  any  one  of  which  will  fertilize  the  apple-egg, 
if  it  can  come  into  proper  contact  with  it.  To  make 
such  proper  contact  between  the  apple-egg  and  the 
apple-pollen,  a  number  of  grains  of  the  fertilizing 
dust  fall  into  the  mouth  which  caps  the  egg-tube,  and 
pass  down  that  tube  into  the  pocket  where  lies  the 
apple-egg,  waiting  to  be  fertilized.  Some  one  of  these 
many  pollen  grains  unites  with  the  egg-cell,  and  all 
the  rest  which  have  come  down  the  tube,  any  and  all 
of  which  were  able  and  ready  to  cause  such  fertiliza- 
tion, perish  and  count  for  nothing,  so  far  as  realizing 
their  original  purpose  is  concerned !  Besides  this,  an 
infinite  number  of  the  pollen  grains  which  are  pro- 
duced by  the  apple  blossom,  never  succeed  in  reaching 
the  egg-tube  at  all,  but  fall  to  the  ground,  an  inef- 
fective surplus,  which  is  of  no  value  whatsoever,  so 
far  as  their  real  efficiency  is  concerned.     It  is  in  this 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  159 

way  that  millions  of  pollen  grains  perish  to  where  a 
single  on£  is  effective,  a  condition  of  things  which  is 
known  as  the  "prodigality  of  nature,"  and  which 
seems  to  be  necessary  in  order  that  the  fertilization 
of  apple-eggs  may  be  made  certain.  That  is,  the 
proportion  of  fertilizing  grains  of  apple-pollen  to 
the  number  of  apple-eggs  to  be  fertilized,  is  an 
infinite  number  of  the  one,  to  a  limited  number  of  the 
other;  and  this  is  a  principle  that  obtains  in  the 
reproduction  of  all  life-forms,  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest.  Keep  this  particular  point  in  mind  for  use 
later  in  this  talk ! 

What  I  have  just  described  tells  what  happens 
when  both  the  Qgg  and  its  fertilizer  are  produced  in 
one  and  the  same  individual  life-form.  There  is 
another  condition  in  which  the  Qgg  is  produced  by 
one  life-form  and  its  proper  fertilizer  in  another 
life-form  of  a  similar  nature,  but  which  functions  in 
a  different  way  so  far  as  reproduction  is  concerned. 
Some  varieties  of  strawberries  are  of  this  sort.  In 
some  kinds  of  strawberries,  the  eggs  are  borne  on  one 
plant  and  the  fertilizing  substance  on  another.  In 
such  cases,  both  kinds  of  plants  must  be  set  in  the 
same  strawberry  bed,  or  there  will  be  no  fruit !  It  is 
because  of  failure  to  do  this,  that  some  people  who 
try  to  raise  strawberries  fail  in  their  attempt.  But 
here  is  the  wonderful  thing  in  this  case,  that  the 
pollen  from  the  fertilizing  plants  will  travel  several 
feet  through  the  air  to  meet  and  fertilize  the  blossoms 


160  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  the  egg-bearing  plants!  Such  a  bed  may  be  set 
with  three  or  four  rows  of  egg-bearing  plants,  to  one 
row  of  pollen-bearing  plants,  and  still  the  egg- 
bearing  blossoms  will  be  fertilized  by  the  pollen  that 
blows  over  from  the  one  row  to  the  three  or  four. 
But  this  shows  what  a  lot  of  pollen  must  be  produced 
in  order  that,  subject  to  such  waste  by  having  to 
travel  through  the  air,  the  fertilization  of  the  egg- 
bearing  blossom  may  be  made  certain.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  so  much  pollen  is  produced  by  the  pollen- 
bearing  plants  that  a  perfect  shower  of  this  fertiliz- 
ing material  is  blown  across,  from  row  to  row  when 
plants  are  thus  set.  And  I  am  telling  this  to  empha- 
size the  fact  of  the  "prodigality  of  nature"  in  pro- 
ducing such  a  great  amount  of  fertilizing  material  in 
proportion  to  the  eggs  to  be  fertilized,  for  this  is  an 
item  which  will  prove  to  be  of  the  greatest  possible 
moment  in  a  conclusion  we  are  headed  for,  and  which 
we  shall  arrive  at  in  due  time.    Don't  forget  this ! 

Corn  presents  another  most  interesting  variety  of 
fertilization.  Here,  the  corn-eggs  are  located  on  the 
cob,  every  kernel  being  such  an  egg,  or  cell,  and  all 
are  surrounded  by  the  covering  of  the  husk.  From 
each  of  these  cells,  or  primary  kernels,  an  egg-tube 
grows  and  passes  up  inside  the  husk  till  it  reaches 
clear  outside  this  sheath.  These  egg-tubes  are  called 
"corn-silk"  and  everybody  knows  about  them  as  such. 
But  here  is  what  comparatively  few  people  do  know, 
namely,  that  every  one  of  these  threads  of  com-silk  is 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  161 

a  hollow  tube,  where  it  protrudes  into  the  air;  and 
every  one  of  these  tubes  has  a  little  mouth  at  its 
outer  end,  waiting  to  catch  and  carry  into  the  tubes 
the  fertilizing  pollen,  which  the  corn-egg  is  waiting 
for  down  below.  This  fertilizing  tube  is  just  like  that 
of  an  apple  blossom,  only  it  is  much  longer. 

On  a  com  plant,  the  pollen-bearing  blossom  is  at 
the  very  top  of  the  stalk,  and  so  is  located  several 
feet  from  the  "ears"  where  the  corn-eggs  are  borne. 
These  pollen-bearing  blossoms  grow  on  the  "com 
tassel,"  and  they  bear  pollen  just  at  the  time  that 
the  "corn-silk"  thrusts  itself  outside  the  husk.  They 
produce  untold  numbers  of  pollen-grains,  which  fall 
in  a  perfect  shower  upon  all  below  them,  covering  the 
corn-leaves,  and  even  the  ground,  with  a  yellow 
powder  which  is  nothing  more  than  the  surplus  of 
fertilizing  material  gone  to  waste !  Of  course,  out  of 
such  an  infinite  supply  of  fertilizing  germs  falling 
all  about,  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  the  little  mouths, 
at  the  tops  of  the  corn-silks,  to  catch  what  they  are 
waiting  for;  and,  once  caught,  what  they  catch 
travels  the  full  length  of  the  silk-tubes  and  fertilizes 
the  corn-eggs  below.  Isn't  this  wonderful  beyond  all 
telling?  And  note,  once  more,  the  almost  infinite 
surplus  of  pollen-germs  that  are  produced  in  com- 
parison with  the  very  few  which  are  really  utilized 
for  actual  fertilization.  Something  of  how  great  this 
surplus  is,  any  one  who  has  walked  through  a  corn- 
field when  the  corn-tassels  were  in  bloom,  and  had  his 


162         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

or  her  clothing  covered  with  the  yellow  dust,  can 
realize.  And  remember,  too,  that  each  pollen-grain 
is  so  small  that  several  of  them  could  easily  stand  on 
the  point  of  a  needle !  How  many  of  them  must  there 
be  on  an  acre  of  corn?  How  many  in  all  the  corn- 
fields in  all  the  world?  The  proposition  to  estimate 
their  number  is  staggering!  And  the  great  bulk  of 
them  all  go  to  waste  and  never  produce  the  fertiliza- 
tion they  were  made  to  effect ! 

Our  common  red  clover  presents  another  most 
interesting  method  of  fertilization,  going  to  show  the 
necessity  of  the  "prodigality  of  nature"  in  this  mat- 
ter of  producing  fertilizing  germs  in  such  abundance. 
In  this  form  of  plant-life,  the  pollen  has  to  be  carried 
from  plant  to  plant  by  the  wings  of  bumble-bees! 
These  bees  go  from  flower  to  flower  to  gather  the 
honey  which  these  blossoms  produce,  and  in  doing 
this  their  wings  become  covered  with  the  pollen- 
grains,  which  their  buzzing  shakes  off  when  they 
touch  the  blossoms  which  need  fertilization!  The 
common  honey-bee  cannot  eff^ect  such  fertilization, 
because  his  proboscis  is  too  short  to  reach  the  honey 
which  is  stored  in  a  red-clover  blossom,  and  these  bees 
never  try  to  gather  honey  from  these  blossoms.  And 
so,  when  there  arc  no  bumble-bees,  there  are  no  clover 
seeds !  There  may  be  clover  blossoms,  but  no  clover 
seeds.  And  this,  too,  is  wonderful  beyond  telling! 
There  are  many  other  plants  which  have  to  be  fertil- 
ized by  the  help  of  insects,  and  all  have  to  produce 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   16S 

an  unlimited  supply  of  fertilizing  material.  This 
infinite  supply  of  such  material  is  the  chief  point  I 
wish  to  call  attention  to  in  what  I  have  so  far  said, 
and  to  make  this  item  in  the  count  still  more  forcible, 
I  add  a  few  more  words  regarding  this  same  pheno- 
menon as  it  applies  to  the  eggs  themselves,  that  is, 
to  their  super-abundance  and  over-supply  as  they 
primarily  exist. 

A  simple  case  of  surplus  egg  production  will  well 
illustrate  what  I  mean.  If  you  will  think  of  the 
number  of  apple-blossoms,  or  cherry-blossoms  on  one 
of  such  trees,  and  then  think  of  the  small  number  of 
apples  or  cherries  that  come  to  maturity  on  these 
same  trees,  you  will  have  a  good  idea  of  the  "prodi- 
gality of  nature'*  in  the  making  of  apple-eggs  or 
cherry-eggs.  Every  blossom  on  the  trees  contains  a 
primary  egg  which  has  in  it  the  possibility  of  becom- 
ing fertilized,  and  of  reproducing  after  its  kind. 
But  not  one  in  hundreds,  not  to  say  thousands,  in 
many  cases,  of  these  eggs  ever  become  fertilized, 
much  less  ever  bear  fruit!  The  overwhelming 
majority  of  them  perish  in  their  incomplete  state, 
and  die  and  fall  to  the  ground,  and  thus  come  to 
nothing,  so  far  as  their  initial  possibilities  and  pur- 
pose are  concerned!  Keep  this  in  mind  also,  along 
with  the  tremendous  waste  of  fertilizing  material,  to 
which  I  have  previously  referred.  Later,  I  shall  ask 
you  to  think  of  what  would  happen  if  ever^  infertile 
egg  that  is  produced  should  become  fertilized,  and 


164         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

thug  cauwc  more  of  iU  kind  to  be!  But  I'll  not  urge 
that  point  liere  and  now,  but  will  come  to  it  in  due 
course  of  time. 

And  let  me  add,  ju»t  here,  that  I  have  gone  into 
these  interesting  and  wonderful  details  as  I  have  in 
the  hope  of  arousing  in  the  minds  of  my  readers  a 
correct  and  rightful  mental  attitude  towards  the 
whole  subject  of  the  reproduction  of  life-forms  in 
this  world.  To  any  one  who  sees  such  things  aright, 
the  whole  process  is  so  wonderful,  not  to  say  aston- 
ishing, that  it  inspires  the  most  profound  reverence 
in  the  mind  of  the  beholder !  In  the  presence  of  such 
plienomcna,  one  feels  the  force  of  the  words:  "Put  off 
thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon 
thou  standest  is  holy  ground."  True  it  is  that,  to 
the  great  mass  of  men  and  women,  who  are  ignorant 
of  the  facts  I  have  recounted,  the  whole  process  of 
reproduction  is  not  a  matter  of  indifference  only,  but 
something  to  make  sport  of;  and  in  the  higlier  forms 
of  life,  to  be  counted  as  vulgar,  not  to  say  **nasty." 
And  this,  by  many  people  who  count  themselves  as 
virtuous  to  the  utmost,  and  as  educated  to  the  most 
respectable  degree!  To  many  of  these  people,  the 
whole  subject  is  practically  repulsive,  and  most 
certainly  taboo.  I  want  my  readers  to  free  them- 
selves from  any  such  untoward  mental  attitude,  not 
only  in  regard  to  what  I  have  so  far  written,  but 
even  to  the  end  of  the  argument  I  am  now  making. 

Coming  up  into  the  realm  of  the  animal  kingdom, 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  165 

and  studying  the  means  and  methods  of  reproduction 
there,  we  find  that  the  same  phenomena  occur  here 
that  obtain  in  the  life-forms  we  have  already  exam- 
ined. Here  the  old  Latin  phrase,  "omwf  vivum  ex 
ovo,^*  still  holds  good,  and  it  is  still  true  that  every 
living  thing  comes  from  an  ^g.  And  these  eggs 
which  produce  animal  life-forms  are  "infertile"  at 
first,  just  as  they  are  in  the  vegetable  kingdom;  that 
is,  they  are  only  the  half  of  what  can  become  a  com- 
plete whole  only  by  being  "fertilized"  by  their  proper 
mates.  Some  one  has  given  us  the  phrase  "the 
duality  of  all  unity  in  nature,"  words  which  perfectly 
express  the  facts  and  conditions  we  are  now  dealing 
with. 

Now,  in  all  advances  which  the  life-force  makes  as 
it  manifests  itself  in  the  higher  forms  of  its  expres- 
sion, some  variations  appear  in  the  conditions  of  the 
materials  it  works  with.  Some  of  the  old,  or  former, 
conditions  remain,  and  new  ones,  or  variations  in 
some  of  the  old  ones,  are  brought  into  being.  Accord- 
ingly, as  we  observe  the  phenomena  of  reproduction 
in  the  animal  kingdom,  we  shall  find  that,  while  the 
essential  elements  are  the  same  in  both  cases,  yet 
there  are  differences  to  be  noted,  some  of  which  are 
as  follows: 

So  far  as  the  ova,  or  primary  eggs  are  concerned, 
they  are  practically  the  same  in  both  the  vegetable 
and  the  animal  kingdoms;  but  there  is  a  variation 
in  the  animal  fertilizing  material,  which,  in  this  realm 


166         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

of  life-forms,  takes  the  form  of  a  fluid,  instead  of  a 
dry  powder,  as  in  the  vegetable  world,  as  we  have 
already  seen.  A  change  of  name  is  also  given  to  the 
animal  fertilizing  material,  which  is  known  as  sper- 
matazoa,  instead  of  pollen.  The  word  spermatazoa 
imeans  something  that  gives  life,  and  a  most  signifi- 
cant word  it  is,  for  it  describes  that  whose  mission 
it  is  to  give  life  to  the  otherwise  lifeless  eggs  which 
it  is  made  to  "fertilize."  Like  pollen,  this  fertilizing 
material  consists  of  an  infinite  number  of  cells,  or 
germs ;  but  it  differs  from  pollen  in  this  respect,  that, 
whereas,  pollen-germs  have  no  power  to  move  them- 
selves about  on  their  own  initiative,  the  spermatazoa 
have  such  ability.  They  are  not  subject  to  the 
action  of  winds,  or  tides,  or  bees,  to  effect  their  pur- 
pose, but  have  the  means  of  reaching  what  they  are 
designed  to  meet  "under  their  own  power,"  as  me- 
chanics say.  To  accomplish  this,  these  life-giving 
germs  float,  or  swim,  as  it  were,  in  a  mucous  fluid 
which  is  provided  for  their  preservation  and  utiliza- 
tion, and  in  which  they  live  and  move  and  have  their 
being  very  much  as  fishes  live  in  water.  And  as  is 
the  case  with  pollen,  there  are  literally  millions  of 
these  germs  in  a  space  that  is  almost  inconceivably 
small.  Like  pollen,  many  of  these  animal  life-germs, 
or  spermatazoa,  could  be  held  on  the  point  of  a 
needle!  This  whole  mass  of  spermatazoa  and  the 
substance  in  which  they  float,  is  known  as  "seminal 
fluid."    And,  just  as  the  vegetable-cells  are  brought 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved    167 

into  contact  with  the  pollen-grains  and  so  are  fertil- 
ized, even  so  the  animal  egg-cells  are  met  and  made 
"fertile"  by  meeting  and  coming  in  contact  with  the 
germs  contained  in  the  seminal  fluid.  In  this  particu- 
lar the  processes  of  fertilization  are  practically  alike 
in  the  two  kingdoms  of  life  forms. 

And,  as  is  the  case  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  some- 
times both  the  egg-producing  and  the  fertilizing- 
causing  material  are  produced  in  one  and  the  same 
•  material  body.  This  is  the  case  in  many  of  the  lower 
forms  of  animal  life,  the  angle  worm  being  a  good 
illustration  of  this  sort.  In  the  body  of  each  indi- 
vidual angle  worm  there  are  located  separate  organs 
which  respectively  produce  angle  worm  eggs  and 
the  seminal  fluid  which  can  fertilize  them;  just  as  in 
an  apple-blossom,  both  the  apple-egg  and  the  pollen 
are  produced  by  one  and  the  same  individual  apple- 
bloom.  This  condition  of  both  eggs  and  that  which 
fertilizes  them  originating  and  coming  from  one  and 
the  same  physical  body  is  common  to  many  of  the 
lower  forms  of  animal  life,  as  I  have  already  said. 

But,  in  the  higher  forms  of  animal  life,  the  organs 
which  produce  eggs  and  those  which  produce  that 
which  fertilizes  them  are  located  in  separate  physical 
bodies,  each  for  each.  The  bodies  which  possess  the 
organs  which  produce  eggs  are  known  as  female 
bodies,  and  those  which  have  organs  for  producing 
egg-fertilization  material  are  known  as  male  bodies. 
That  is,  all  female  animals  produce  eggs,  and  all  male 


168         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

animals  produce  seminal  fluid ;  and,  as  is  the  case  in 
plants,  the  fertilization  of  the  egg  can  be  brought 
about  only  by  bringing  the  eggs  and  that  which 
fertilizes  them  into  contact  with  each  other. 

Now,  this  contact  of  these  two  life-form-producing 
elements,  the  eggs  and  the  spermatazoa,  is  brought 
about  in  various  ways.  Generally  speaking,  all 
animal  eggs  are  produced  in  the  female  bodies  which 
originate  them;  and  all  seminal  fluids  have  their 
source  in  organs,  which  are  located  within  the  male 
bodies  from  wliich  they  come.  In  the  case  of  some 
animals,  the  eggs  are  expelled  from  the  body  of  the 
female  which  produces  them,  before  they  meet  the 
seminal  fluid  and  become  fertilized;  and  with  other 
animals,  the  fertilization  takes  place  while  the  egg, 
or  eggs,  are  still  within  the  female  body.  Fishes  are 
animals  of  the  first-mentioned  sort.  The  female  fish 
expel  the  eggs  from  their  bodies  in  shallow  water, 
and  after  they  are  thus  placed,  the  male  fish  swims 
above  them  and  pours  out  over  them  a  quantity  of 
seminal  fluid  which  mingles  with  the  eggs  and 
fertilizes  them.  It  will  be  seen  at  once  that  there  is 
bound  to  be  a  great  waste  of  both  eggs  and  of  seminal 
fluid  when  fertilization  is  made  to  take  place  in  this 
way ;  and  because  this  is  so,  we  again  find  a  "prodi- 
gality of  nature"  in  the  fact  that  many  single  female 
fish  will  lay  several  million  eggs  at  one  "spawning," 
as  it  is  called,  while  the  number  of  spermatazoa  that 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   169 

a  male  fish  will  emit  for  their  fertilization  is  almost 
beyond  computation! 

When  fish  eggs  are  thus  fertilized,  the  life-process 
for  their  growth  and  development  begins  and  goes  on, 
fostered  by  the  action  of  the  sun  and  the  water; 
until,  in  due  time,  the  eggs  "hatch"  and  new  indi- 
vidual fish-bodies  (or  babies)  thus  come  into  being. 
This  is  the  wonderful  story  of  how  reproduction 
takes  place  in  the  order  of  fishes. 

Again,  in  the  case  of  birds  and  all  sorts  of  fowls, 
the  process  of  reproduction  varies  a  little,  as  fol- 
lows: Here,  the  eggs  are  fertilized  while  they  are 
still  inside  the  body  of  the  female  which  produces 
them,  and  are  then  expelled  from  the  body,  or 
"layed,"  after  such  fertilization.  Afterward  they 
may  be  "hatched"  by  a  process  that  everybody 
knows  about,  and  so  I  need  not  tell  about  here.  How- 
ever, if  such  eggs  are  not  fertilized  before  they  are 
**layed,"  they  will  never  hatch!  And  this  is  a  fact 
that  multitudes  of  people  do  not  know!  There  is  a 
reason  for  this  that  I  need  not  stop  to  enlarge  upon 
here,  but  which  you  can  easily  think  out,  if  you  will 
take  the  trouble  to  do  so.  I  regret  to  say  that  many 
people  who  are  counted  as  especially  "good"  think  it 
is  not  "nice"  either  to  think  about  or  to  know  of  such 
a  fact !  But  they  are  altogether  wrong  in  such 
mental  attitude.  I  suppose  their  teaching  is  to  blame 
for  this. 


170         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

The  fertilization  of  eggs  while  they  are  still  within 
the  body  of  the  female  is  accomplished  by  a  union  of 
the  egg-producing  organs  of  the  female  with  the 
seminal-producing  organs  of  the  male,  the  fluid  thus 
being  brought  into  contact  with  the  eggs  it  is  to  give 
complete  life  to.  These  organs  are  called  "sex 
organs,"  and  their  union  is  known  as  "copulation." 
Aild  this  is  tlie  story  of  egg-fertilization  as  it  takes 
place  in  an  order  of  life  which  is  higher  than  that 
of  fishes. 

And  here,  again,  because  of  all  sorts  of  happenings 
that  may  befall  unhatched  eggs,  and  of  the  difficulty 
that  the  seminal  fluid  may  have  in  reaching  the 
infertile  eggs,  located  as  they  are  within  the  body  of 
the  female,  there  is  the  same  "prodigality  of  nature," 
both  in  the  number  of  eggs  produced  and  of  that 
which  fertilizes  them,  as  we  have  noted  in  the  lower 
life-forms.  There  is  not  such  a  tremendous  excess  of 
eggs  produced  among  birds  and  fowls  as  there  is 
among  fishes,  but  the  number  of  eggs  "layed"  is  far 
in  excess  of  those  that  are  ever  hatched,  as  everybody 
knows.  And  as  to  the  number  of  spermatazoa  which 
the  male  birds  and  fowls  produce,  this  is  still,  as  in 
the  similar  cases  already  noted,  practically  beyond 
computation ! 

Coming  up  a  step  higher  in  the  realm  of  animal 
life-forms,  we  find  yet  another  variation  in  the  man- 
ner of  reproduction,  as  follows :  Here,  not  only  are 
the  eggs  produced  within  the  body  of  the  female  and 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  171 

fertilized  there ;  but,  after  they  are  so  fertilized,  they 
are  still  retained  within  the  female  body,  and  there 
they  grow  and  develop,  for  a  shorter  or  a  longer 
period  of  time,  till  in  due  time,  infantile,  but  perfectly 
full-formed  bodies  are  produced,  after  the  kind  of 
the  animal  that  gave  them  being.  When  the  young 
animal  is  fully  formed  within  the  body  of  the  female, 
it  is  expelled  from  her  body  by  what  we  call  "birth." 
The  time  that  it  takes  for  the  young  of  the  different 
animals  to  become  fully  formed  in  the  bodies  of  those 
which  produce  them,  varies  from  a  few  days  to 
several  months,  and  is  known  as  the  "gestation 
period" ;  and  the  act  of  birth  is  scientifically  called 
"parturition." 

And  here  again  there  is  the  same  surplus  of  eggs 
and  of  seminal  fluid  that  obtains  in  all  the  cases  we 
have  so  far  noted.  There  is  this  difference,  though, 
namely,  that  the  more  advanced  animal-forms 
become,  the  fewer  in  number  are  the  infertile  eggs 
produced  by  the  females  for  possible  fertilization. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  diminution  of  the 
proportionate  number  of  fertilizing  germs  produced 
by  male  beings,  no  matter  how  high  in  the  scale  of 
life-forms  we  may  go.  The  number  of  such  germs,  or 
spermatazoa,  produced  by  each  and  every  male 
being,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  during  a  life- 
time, is  for  multitude,  equal  to  that  of  the  sands  of 
the  sea  or  the  stars  in  the  sky !  But  the  number  of 
such  germs  that  actually  succeed  in  affecting  the 


172         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

fertilization  of  the  eggs  they  are  made  to  match,  is 
comparatively  infinitesimal !  The  great  mass  of  these 
germs  perish  in  their  primitive  form,  and  go  for 
nothing,  so  far  as  their  initial  purpose  is  concerned ! 
Tliis  tremendous  "waste  of  life-giving  material,"  as 
some  people  say  it,  is  greatly  deplored  by  many  who, 
it  would  sometimes  seem,  think  that  they  could  have 
made  a  much  better  world  than  the  one  we  live  in,  one 
which  could  have  been  run  much  more  "economically," 
than  ours  now  is !    I  wonder ! 

I  have  said  all  that  I  have  thus  far  written  upon 
this  particular  point,  in  order  to  lead  my  readers  up 
to  a  full  and  wliolesome  realization  of  the  essential 
facts  that  obtain  in  the  reproduction  of  human 
beings  in  this  world.  It  seems  to  me  we  ought  all  to 
be  pretty  well  posted  on  the  subject  of  reproduction 
in  general,  by  this  time,  and,  if  we  are,  we  are  ready 
to  take  up  intelligently,  and  in  a  right  mental  atti- 
tude, the  subject  of  reproduction  in  the  human 
species.    Let  us  proceed  to  do  just  that. 

In  the  first  place,  when  we  come  to  study  this  part 
of  life-expression  as  it  manifests  itself  in  human 
beings,  we  find  the  same  universal  principle  which  is 
embodied  in  the  truthful  words  of  the  old  Latin 
phrase,  omne  vivu/m  ex  ovo,  every  living  thing  comes 
from  an  eggy  to  be  in  full  force  here  as  elsewhere ;  and 
that,  in  the  working  out  of  that  principle,  substan- 
tially, and  for  the  most  part,  the  same  means  and 
methods  obtain  that  apply  in  the  orders  of  being 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   173 

that  are  below  mankind.  That  is,  each  human  being 
in  all  the  world  has  his  or  her  physical  beginning  in 
an  egg  which  is  produced  in  an  infertile  condition  by 
the  female  of  the  species;  and  this  egg  has  to  be 
fertilized  by  a  germ  which  is  produced  by  the  male  of 
the  species,  just  as  in  the  lower  order  of  life-forms; 
that  is,  there  must  be  a  conjoining  of  the  egg  and 
the  germ,  in  this  case  as  in  all  others,  before  fertiliza- 
tion can  take  place. 

Infertile  human  eggs  originate  from  within  the 
body  of  each  human  female,  after  they  arrive  at  a 
suitable  age,  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  from 
organs  which  are  called  ovaries.  These  are  two  in 
number,  and  are  located  where  they  are  well  pra- 
tected,  deeply  embodied  in  the  small  of  the  back  of 
the  female  body.  A  great  number  of  these  eggs, 
almost  infinitely  small,  are  present  in  the  ovaries  of 
each  and  all  female  human  beings,  from  their  earliest 
infancy,  the  number  in  each  case  being  fixed  definitely 
at  the  time  of  birth.  In  their  primary  state,  or  con- 
dition, and  during  the  early  years  of  the  body  that 
contains  them,  they  are  not  capable  of  being  fertil- 
ized ;  but,  after  the  female  body  is  sufficiently  devel- 
oped, they  "ripen,"  or  come  to  maturity,  one  by 
one,  every  twenty-eight  days ;  and,  one  at  a  time,  at 
the  expiration  of  each  such  interval,  they  pass  out 
of  the  ovaries  and  down  into  a  part  of  the  body 
where  there  is  located  an  organ  which  corresponds 
to  the  egg-pocket  in  an  apple-blossom  x  and  here,  like 


174»        Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

an  apple-egg  m  a  similar  state,  the  human  Qgg  waits 
for  the  life-giving  germ  which  alone  can  make  it 
fertile.  As  already  said,  the  male  human  being  alone 
produces  such  gcnn  from  within  his  body,  and  it 
must  be  transmitted  from  the  body  of  the  male  to 
that  of  the  female  before  fertilization  of  the  egg  can 
take  place.  This  transmission  of  the  life-giving  germ, 
or  spermatazoa,  from  the  body  of  the  male  to  that  of 
the  female  is  effected  in  precisely  the  same  manner 
as  already  noted  in  cases  where  the  sex-organs  of 
different  life-forms  are  located  in  different  individual 
bodies,  and  hence  need  not  be  repeated  here.  And, 
being  thus  brought  together  and  into  contact,  the 
egg  of  the  female  unites  with  the  germ  of  the  male, 
and  fertilization  is  thus  accomplished.  Such  fertili- 
zation is  known  as  "conception'  and  the  female  body 
in  which  conception  has  taken  place  is  then  said  to 
be  "pregnant." 

And  here,  again,  in  this  form  of  egg-fertilization, 
**the  prodigality  of  nature"  appears,  just  as  in  the 
other  similar  instances  we  have  noted,  though  with 
this  variation:  In  many  of  the  orders  of  life  below 
mankind,  there  are  numbers  of  eggs,  often  multi- 
tudes, to  be  fertilized  upon  the  meeting  of  these  two 
life-elements,  as  we  have  already  seen;  but  in  the 
human  species,  there  is  only  one  Qgg  presented  for 
fertilization  at  any  one  time.  However,  the  number 
of  male  fertilizing  germs  that  are  presented  to  fertil- 
ize  such   single   egg,  any   om  of   which   can   fully 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   175 

accomplish  such  fertilization,  and  onl^  one  of  which 
can  be  utilized  for  such  purpose,  is,  as  in  similar 
cases,  almost  countless.  At  such  meeting  of  an 
infertile  human  egg  and  the  vitalizing  germ  which  is 
to  fertilize  it,  there  are  present  between  two  and 
three  millions  of  spermatazoa,  and  only  one  of  these 
can,  under  any  circumstances,  be  effective  in  pro- 
ducing the  result  for  which  they  all  exist !  All  the 
rest  of  this  exceeding  great  multitude  of  germs  which 
no  man  can  number,  must  perish  and  count  for. 
nothing,  so  far  as  their  vitalizing  efficiency  is  con- 
cerned, as  in  all  the  other  similar  instances  which  we 
have  noted.  Note  this  fact  quite  well,  as  I  shall  refer 
to  it  later. 

It  hardly  needs  to  be  said,  but  to  make  the  record 
complete,  I  add,  that,  after  fertilization,  the  human 
egg  remains  within  the  body  of  the  female,  and  there 
grows  and  develops  during  the  "gestation  period," 
as  is  the  case  with  other  animals,  this  period  in  the 
human  species  being  nine  months,  when  birth,  or 
"parturition,"  takes  place,  and  a  new  being  enters 
into  human  life ! 

And  this  is  the  story  of  reproduction,  as  it  applies 
to  mankind !  For  the  most  part,  it  is  but  a  repeti- 
tion of  similar  phenomena  in  all  life-forms ;  but  there 
are  ways  in  which  it  is  peculiar  to  itself,  as  I  shall 
at  once  proceed  to  point  out. 

And  the  first,  and  by  far  the  most  essential  dif- 
ference between  reproduction  in  the  human  species 


176         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

and  that  in  all  other  life-forms  is  that  here,  for  the 
first  time  in  all  the  series,  the  possible  power  of  choice 
on  the  part  of  the  individuals  involved  enters  in  and 
becomes  a  significant  factor  in  the  problem  of  the 
perpetuation  of  life's  embodiments!  And  riglit  here 
in  this  story,  we  begin  to  forcefully  use  the  logical 
tools  of  explanation  which  I  have  been  so  long  in 
fashioning,  and  which  you  have  been  so  patient  in 
noting.  Right  here  begins  the  definite  application 
of  the  method  of  Chance  or  of  Choice  as  a  factor  in 
the  reproduction  of  human  beings,  and  we  are  now  in 
a  position  to  consider  the  issue  intelligently  and  on 
the  basis  of  righteousness  rather  than  that  of 
custom,  or  conventionality,  or  morality,  or  anything 
else  whatsoever.  And  let  us  thank  God  that  we  can 
do  just  this! 

It  is  easy  for  us  now  to  see  that,  in  all  orders  of 
life  below  mankind,  all  the  phenomena  of  reproduc- 
tion are  matters  of  miLst,  and  not  of  may  or  can;  of 
instmct  merely,  and  hence  that  they  all  lie  entirely 
outside  the  realm  of  the  power  of  choice !  ( It  might 
be  well  for  the  reader  to  pause  for  a  moment  just 
here,  and  think  intently  of  the  significance  of  what 
is  involved  in  the  statements  made  in  the  last  few 
paragraphs,  and  then  we  will  move  on !) 

I  say  that  we  can  now  see,  at  once,  how  impossible 
it  is  for  choice  to  have  any  place  whatever  in  the 
reproduction  of  life-forms  in  the  orders  of  life  below 
mankind.     The  infertile  apple-egg  has  no  choice  as 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  177 

to  its  origin  or  as  to  the  position  it  occupies  in  the 
apple-blossom ;  nor  can  it  choose  at  all  as  to  how  and 
when  it  may  receive  the  pollen-grain  which  is  to 
fertilize  it !  The  first  of  these  items  is,  for  it,  a  mat- 
ter of  must,  and  the  second  almost  entirely  a  matter 
of  chance.  The  apple-egg  is  where  it  is  because  it 
cannot  help  being  there,  and  it  may  or  may  not  get 
the  fertilizing  germ  that  it  must  have  to  perfect  its 
being ;  and,  in  neither  case  can  its  own  will,  even  if  it 
had  a  will  of  its  own,  affect  the  situation  in  any  way 
whatsoever!  These  are  all  facts  which  cannot  be 
gainsaid  in  any  way,  and  they  are  facts  of  the  utmost 
significance  in  the  main  case  we  are  now  considering ! 
Drive  another  stake  right  here! 

And  what  is  true  of  reproduction  as  it  appears  in 
the  apple-trees  is  equally  true  of  strawberries,  and 
com  and  clover  and  angle  worms  and  fishes  and  birds 
and  fowls  and  four-footed  beasts,  in  a  word,  of  all 
forms  of  life  below  mankind.  In  not  one  of  these 
instances  is  the  power  of  choice  a  possible  factor  in 
the  phenomena  involved!  Below  that  line  every  ele- 
ment in  the  entire  process  is  either  irrevocably  fixed 
by  some  power  other  than  the  individual  involved,  or 
else  it  is  a  matter  of  chance,  pure  aad  simple ! 

But  when  we  come  up  as  far  in  the  scale  of  life- 
expression  as  human  beings,  there  we  find  at  least 
the  possibility  of  choice  becoming  a  factor  in  the 
phenomenon  of  reproduction!  True,  many  of  the 
irrevocably  fixed  conditions  that  obtain  in  the  lower 


178         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

orders  of  life  still  persist  in  this  realm  of  being.  The 
production  of  primitive  egg-cells  and  of  fertilizing 
germs  is  still  entirely  beyond  the  control  of  the  indi- 
viduals in  which  these  elements  appear,  just  as  truly 
as  is  the  case  in  lower  forms  of  life ;  but  the  item  of 
the  fertilization  or  the  non-fertilization  of  embryo 
eggs  in  human  beings  is  at  least  within  the  bounds  of 
possible  human  control !  Here  the  possible  power  of 
choice,  at  least,  exists!  The  question  at  stake  is,  is 
it  right  that  such  possibility  should  be  deliberately 
taken  advantage  of  and  utilized  by  the  human  beings 
in  which  it  certainly  has  a  being;  or  should  mankind, 
like  all  other  life-forms,  continue  to  be  subject  to  fate 
and  chance  in  the  exercise  of  this  most  important  of 
all  life's  functions?  Here  is  the  crux  of  the  whole 
issue  to  be  considered  in  the  case  we  are  now  trying ! 
And  the  item  to  settle,  and  to  settle  once  for  all,  is, 
tchat  is  right  in  this  matter?  And  the  answer  to  this 
question  is  not  to  be  determined  by  what  anybody 
says  about  it,  no  matter  who  such  anybody  may  be ; 
it  is  not  to  be  settled  by  any  "authority,"  merely  as 
such,  no  matter  what  the  same  may  be,  or  how  and 
where  it  may  be  located ;  its  rightness  or  wrongness 
is  not  to  be  disclosed  in  terms  of  morality,  custom,  or 
conventionality,  or  of  man-made  laws,  as  such;  but 
the  whole  issue  must  be  determined  by  its  righteous- 
ness or  unrighteousness;  and  this  can  only  be  found 
out  by  the  effects  which  the  exercise  of  such  power  of 
choice  produces  upon  the  individuals  who  exercise  it, 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  179 

or  upon  any  other  person  or  persons  upon  whom  its 
exercise  may  have  an  influence,  or  "land."  Such 
method  of  settling  the  rightness  or  wrongness  of 
exercising  the  power  of  choice  in  this  case  is  in  har- 
mony with  the  basic  laws  of  determining  the  correct- 
ness of  human  acts,  which  we  have  studied  a  few 
pages  back ;  and  it  is  the  only  way  of  finally  testing 
out  the  issue  to  an  ultimate  conclusion.  Let  us 
proceed  to  do  just  that. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  this  method  of  settling 
this  issue  involves  a  great  number  of  items,  both 
general  and  particular;  so  many,  in  fact,  that  they 
canrfbt  all  be  considered,  as  they  deserve  to  be,  in  a 
book  the  size  of  the  one  I  am  now  writing.  However, 
the  chief  of  all  these  can  be  noted  and  some  con- 
clusions can  be  established  therefrom  which  will  be 
of  such  general  application  that  they  will  practically 
serve  in  rightly  determining  all  the  issues  in  point. 

And  right  here  I  want  to  call  the  attention  of  my 
readers  as  to  just  what  the  issue  is  that  I  am  now 
considering.  I  am  not  talking  about  the  taking  of 
human  life,  even  at  its  earliest  stages!  I  am  not 
talking  about  "abortion,"  that  is,  the  destruction  of 
a  fertilized  human  egg  at  any  time  after  the  gesta- 
tion period  has  begun.  Such  an  act  as  that  is 
another  issue  altogether,  from  the  one  we  are  talking 
about,  and  with  which  this  present  discussion  has 
nothing  whatever  to  do,  as  I  may  enlarge  upon  later. 
However,  it  should  be  said,  just  here,  that  the  fact  is 


180         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

that  the  laws  and  regulations  which  are  now  on  the 
statute  books  of  the  United  States,  and  of  many  of 
the  several  States  in  the  Union,  make  no  distinction 
whatever  between  these  two  separate  issues,  but  count 
them  as  one  and  the  same,  and  prescribe  equal  punish- 
ments for  any  violations  of  such  statutes,  all  and 
several.  The  pity  of  it !  Yes,  the  folly  of  it,  not  to 
say  the  blunder,  the  abomination  and  the  wickedness 
of  it !    But  more  of  this  later. 

And  here,  in  considering  the  possibility  of  exer- 
cising the  human  will,  or  choice  rather  than  chance, 
in  determining  whether  or  not  human  egg-cells  shall 
be  fertilized,  in  general  or  in  any  particular  case,  we 
fall  back  on  the  trio  of  desire,  imagiimtion  and 
ingenuity,  which  we  have  already  carefully  studied. 
Taking  these  up,  one  by  one,  as  they  apply  in  the 
present  situation,  it  is  certain  that  the  desire  to  effect 
such  control  exists  among  all  human  beings  to  whom 
is  legally  given  the  right  of  propagating  the  human 
species,  namely,  all  married  people!  That  is,  all 
married  people  would  prefer,  if  they  could  have  their 
wish  about  it,  if  their  desire  could  be  fulfilled,  to  have 
the  matter  of  egg-cell  fertilization,  in  their  particu- 
lar case  at  least,  entirely  under  their  own  control. 
That  such  desire  is  universal  among  all  intelligent 
and  thoughtful  married  people  is  beyond  denial ! 

And,  thus  desiring,  the  imagination  of  these  people 
proceeds  to  search  for  the  means  of  realization  of 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  181 

such  desire;  after  which  their  ingenuity  proceeds  to 
work  out  what  their  imagination  suggests.  This  is 
the  universal  experience  of  all  married  people,  to  say 
the  least.  But  if  any  one  should  tell  how  such 
experience  has  worked  out,  what  ways  and  means  for 
realizing  such  desires  as  imagination  has  suggested  to 
married  people,  and  what  their  ingenuity  has  pro- 
duced— if  any  one  should  ever  make  a  report  of  this, 
as  the  laws  of  the  United  States  now  are,  the  man  or 
the  woman  who  would  do  this  would  land  in  the  peni- 
tentiary forthwith !  However,  this  can  be  said  with- 
out danger  of  incurring  such  penalty ;  namely,  that 
even  the  most  earnest  advocates  of  "not  meddling 
with  nature's  methods,"  all  unanimously  agree  in  the 
rightfulness  of  one  way  of  making  human  egg-cells 
and  spermatazoa  ineffective,  that  is,  of  virtually 
preventing  "conception,"  namely,  by  entire  absti- 
nence from  the  act  which  would  bring  these  two  vital 
elements  into  contact  with  each  other!  This  seems 
to  be  a  sort  of  universally  approved  and  generally 
accepted  unwritten  law;  or,  perhaps  better,  a  uni- 
versally approved  and  generally  accepted  and 
adopted  exception  to  a  written  law,  (if  such  written 
law  actually  includes  this  method  which  really 
accomplishes  a  result  which  the  statute  itself 
forbids!) 

In  any  event,  even  the  most  ardent  endorsers  and 
supporters  of  the  law  as  it  now  stands,  still  insist 


182  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

that  it  is  right  for  married  people  to  practice  such 
method  of  living,  and  they  urge  conformity  to  it  with 
the  utmost  zeal. 

Now  let  us  see  just  what  such  method  does  and 
just  how  it  docs  it: 

In  the  first  place,  it  surely  prevents  "conception'*! 
No  one  can  deny  that!  Still  further,  there  is  no 
denying  the  fact  that  this  method  does  bring  the 
element  of  the  human  will  into  the  case.  It  certainly 
substitutes  choice  in  the  place  of  chance  as  a  con- 
trolling factor  in  the  premises !  What  it  practically 
does  is  to  deliberately  keep  from  realization  possi- 
bilities which  might  eventuate  otherwise  but  for  the 
inhibition  thus  enforced!  It  renders  both  the  egg- 
cells  produced  by  the  human  female,  and  the  life- 
giving  germs  produced  by  the  male  human  being, 
entirely  incapable  of  attaining  the  results  for  which 
both  exist !  It  leaves  to  "nature"  the  work  of  making 
a  complete,  rather  than  a  partial  destruction  of  all 
of  these  germs,  eroery  one  of  therriy  egg-cells  and  their 
proper  fertilizers,  both  and  all !  To  be  sure,  "nature" 
destroys  the  overwhelming  majority  of  both  of  these, 
anyhow,  as  we  have  already  seen ;  and  in  preventing 
the  meeting  of  the  two  elements  by  totally  abstain- 
ing from  the  sexual  act  which  would  bring  them 
together,  and  so  destroying  them  all  by  such  means, 
the  ingenuity  of  married  people  by  this  exceptionally 
approved  method,  only  carries  one  step  further  a 
jitocess    which    "nature"    continually    practices    in 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  183 

limitless  measure!  The  question  is,  would  married 
people,  if  they  never  engaged  in  the  sexual  act  which 
alone  can  bring  about  the  fertilization  of  the  human 
egg-cell,  and  in  this  way  prevented  conception — 
would  such  people  be  doing  right  or  wrong  by  such 
manner  of  living?  The  way  to  find  out- the  right  or 
wrong  in  this  case  is  to  learn  how  such  manner  of 
living  results  in  its  effects  upon  the  parties  con- 
cerned, the  husbands  and  wives  involved. 

In  the  first  place,  let  it  be  said  that  such  manner 
of  living,  by  husbands  and  wives,  that  is,  an  entire 
abstinence  of  sexual  commerce,  is  so  rare  as  to  be 
almost  a  negligible  quantity.  In  all  my  investiga- 
tions, I  have  found  only  one  such  case;  but  I  have 
found  one  where  such  manner  of  living  was  actually 
maintained  for  a  number  of  years.  (For  the  better 
assurance  of  the  reader,  I  add  that  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  this  couple  did  actually  live  as 
I  have  stated  they  did.  In  any  event,  please  count  it 
true  that  they  did  so,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument 
which  is  to  follow,  if  for  no  other  reason.  But  that 
such  cases  are  rare  is  well  known  by  everybody. 
Hence  this  parenthetical  note.)  The  question  is, 
did  these  parties,  if  they  lived  as  they  say  they 
lived,  do  wrong  by  living  in  this  way;  and,  if  they 
did  do  wrong,  in  just  what  particular  did  that  wrong 
doing  consist  ?  To  find  these  things  out,  the  case  will 
have  to  be  studied  quite  carefully  in  detail,  as 
follows : 


184)         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

This  husband  and  wife  belonged  to  what  we  call 
"middle  class  people."  They  lived  in  a  city  where 
both  found  employment,  he  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  and 
she  as  a  stenographer  in  an  office.  They  "fell  in  love 
with  each  other,"  as  the  phrase  goes,  and  wanted  to 
marry,  and  did  so.  But!  They  were  in  quite  moderate 
circumstances,  both  of  them,  and  they  felt  that  it 
would  not  be  best,  or  even  right,  for  them  to  have  a 
child,  or  children,  till  they  were  able  to  take  proper 
care  of  it,  or  them !  And  they  knew  that  by  entirely 
refraining  from  the  sexual  act  they  could  totally 
eliminate  the  possibility  of  becoming  parents !  Know- 
ing this,  they  acted  accordingly.  That  is,  by  the 
deliberate  action  of  their  wills,  by  the  exercise  of  the 
power  of  choicCy  and  not  at  all  by  cluincey  they  kept 
from  reproducing  after  their  kind.  Did  they  do 
wrong? 

Well,  according  to  the  rules  for  determining  the 
rightness  or  the  wrongness  of  human  actions  that  we 
have  already  noted,  let  us  bring  this  case  into  the 
court  of  common  sense,  as  it  were,  and  try  it  out. 

In  the  first  place :  How  did  such  manner  of  living 
affect  the  parties  themselves,  physically,  mentally 
and  spiritually?  As  to  the  first,  so  far  as  I  could 
learn,  both  the  husband  and  the  wife  were  at  least 
averagely  well  physically,  during  the  three  or  more 
years  that  I  knew  them,  and  during  which  time  they 
practiced  absolute  continence.  How  long  this  con- 
dition afterward  continued,  I  cannot  say,  as,  after 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  185 

that  time,  they  moved  to  the  far  West,  and  I  lost 
sight  of  them.  Mentally,  they  were  certainly  able  to 
hold  their  respective  positions,  as  long  as  I  knew 
them ;  and  spiritually,  they  stood  fairly  well,  at  least 
up  to  the  average  among  people  in  their  walks  of 
life.  So  much  for  the  result  of  this  manner  of  living 
as  it  "landed"  upon  these  two  people  individually. 

Whether  such  a  way  of  living  was  abnormal  or 
not,  is  beside  the  issue,  so  far  as  this  discussion  is 
concerned.  It  was  certainly  unusual,  as  already 
said ;  but  that  item  in  the  count  we  need  not  consider. 
That  it  could  be  generally  practiced  by  husbands 
and  wives  as  they  go,  with  as  good  results  as  obtained 
in  this  case,  my  own  observations  and  studies  lead  me 
greatly  to  doubt.  I  have  known  many  cases  where  a 
similar  manner  of  living  was  attempted,  to  the  extent 
of  confining  the  sexual  act  to  that  of  a  reproductive 
purpose  only,  and  almost  without  exception  such 
attempts  have  resulted  harmfully  to  the  physical, 
mental  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  husbands  and 
wives  concerned.  I  have  known  some  such  cases, 
where  nervous  breakdown  and  mental  upsetting  have 
come  from  such  repression;  and  I  have  more  than 
once  seen  such  untoward  condition  remedied,  and  the 
parties  restored  to  health  and  soundness  in  body, 
mind  and  spirit,  by  the  abandonment  of  such  inhibi- 
tion, and  the  establishment  of  a  mode  of  life  that  was 
in  harmony  with  their  natural  desires,  rather  than 
in  conformity  to  what  somebody,  or  some  books  have 


186         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

said.  This  is  a  sort  of  side  remark,  apart  from  the 
main  issue;  but  it  is  so  important  that  I  feel  that  I 
will  be  pardoned  by  the  reader  for  making  it  as  I 
have.  I  may  refer  to  this  point  at  greater  length  in 
a  later  chapter. 

If  these  parties  did  no  harm  to  themselves  by  not 
permitting  the  vital  elements  of  reproduction  to  come 
into  contact  with  each  other,  by  deliberately  refrain- 
ing from  the  sexual  act  which  would  have  united 
them,  the  question  still  remains,  according  to  the  rule 
for  determining  right  and  wrong  under  which  this 
case  is  being  tried,  did  they  wrong  any  one  else  by 
doing  as  they  did? 

And  here  comes  in  the  claim  that  they  owed  a  duty 
to  society,  and  to  the  state  and  to  the  church  if  they 
failed  to  contribute  their  quota  of  children  for  the 
uses  and  needs  of  these  institutions  in  days  to  come. 
And  to  this  claim  from  these  sources  is  sometimes 
added  an  injunction  or  command  which  is  held  to 
have  come  from  Jehovah  himself,  as  embodied  in  the 
words  of  the  Bible,  "increase  and  multiply  and 
replenish  the  earth.**  For  all  these  reasons,  husbands 
and  wives  have  been  taught,  and  still  are  taught, 
that  they  are  doing  wrong  if  they  do  not  have  chil- 
dren if  it  is  possible  for  them  to  do  so ;  and  this  view 
of  the  situation  has  been  held  in  such  esteem  by 
certain  who  have  believed  that  they  are  possessed  of 
the  authority  to  dictate  in  the  premises,  that  hus- 
bands   and   wives    have   been    commanded    to    bear 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   1 87 

children  under  penalty  if  they  refused  to  heed  the 
order  given  to  them!  That  is,  according  to  this 
theory,  it  is  held  to  be  wrong,  if  not  absolutely 
wicked  for  married  people  who  have  in  themselves  the 
possibilities  of  reproducing  after  their  kind,  and  who 
possess  the  legal  right  to  exercise  the  same,  to  refrain 
from  utilizing  such  possibilities  by  a  deliberate  act 
of  the  will,  that  is,  by  choice ! 

In  the  first  place,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the 
laws  of  the  United  States  as  they  now  stand,  appar- 
ently make  it  a  criminal  offense  if  such  possibilities 
are  even  limited  or  curbed  in  any  way !  This  condi- 
tion of  affairs  virtually  amounts  to  demanding  by 
law  that  the  powers  of  reproduction  which  are  pos- 
sessed by  all  those  who  are  legally  entitled  to  function 
in  this  way,  shall  be  utilized  to  the  limit  of  their 
possibilities !  The  principle  at  the  basis  of  such  an 
order  of  things  can  be  none  other  than  this:  They 
cariy  and  hence  they  must!  It  is  for  these  reasons 
that  it  is  held  that  this  young  couple  whom  we  now 
have  "on  the  carpet"  did  a  wrong  to  others  by  not 
having  children.  Let  us  look  a  bit  further  into  this 
claim,  as  follows : 

The  essential  point  in  this  claim  is  that  society, 
and  the  state  and  the  church  need  men  and  women 
for  supporters  in  the  coming  generation,  and  that 
all  those  who  can  contribute  to  the  furnishing  of  such 
supporters  are  "slackers"  if  they  fail  to  "make 
good"!     Suppose  we  concede  the  point  for  the  mo- 


188         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

ment,  namely,  that  those  who  can,  should,  and  con- 
tinue the  argument  on  that  basis ! 

As  just  said,  the  whole  crux  of  the  situation  lies 
in  the  claim  that  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  can  have 
children,  to  fulfil  their  possibilities.  And  there  are 
those  who  assert  that  such  possibilities  should  be 
carried  to  the  ultimate  limit  of  attainment,  regard- 
less of  every  item  but  that  of  the  number  of  children 
that  can  be  produced.  Grant  this  for  a  moment,  and 
see  what  comes  from  it.  On  this  basis,  the  question 
at  once  arises  in  the  minds  of  all  who  are  willing  to 
think  this  situation  through  to  a  logical  conclusion: 
Just  where  does  this  "canj"  this  dwty  in  tlie  line  of 
possibilities  begin?  How  far  back  does  such 
responsibility  go? 

As  things  now  are,  only  those  who  are  married  can 
legally  have  children.  But,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
practically  all  adult  human  beings  can  reproduce 
after  their  kind !  They  all  possess  the  power  to  do 
so!  They  could  have  children  if  they  would  place 
themselves  where  they  might  legally  do  so!  All 
female  human  beings  produce  infertile  egg-cells  every 
twenty-eight  days,  and  all  male  human  beings  pro- 
duce untold  millions  of  spermatazoa  which  could 
fertilize  the  same,  if  they  had  the  opportunity  to  do 
so.  The  question  is,  do  not  all  these  people  owe  a 
duty  to  society,  and  the  State,  and  the  church  to  live 
up  to  their  possibilities  in  this  item  of  reproduction  ? 

This  is  not  saying  that  all  these  people  should 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  189 

bear  children  out  of  wedlock,  but  it  is  raising  the 
issue  as  to  whether  they  have  any  right  to 
deliberately  refuse  to  enter  into  a  condition  of  life 
where  the  having  of  children  would  be  possible.  Has 
any  woman  the  right  to  deliberately  permit  all  the 
unfertilized  egg-cells  she  produces  to  go  to  waste? 
Has  any  man  the  right  to  suffer  all  the  fertilizing 
germs  he  produces  to  perish?  Have  they  any  right 
to  exercise  the  power  of  choice  in  the  premises,  and 
to  wilfully  refrain  from  placing  themselves  in  a 
position  where  they  could  respond  to  the  call  or 
demand  of  society,  and  the  State,  and  the  church  for 
supporters  in  the  days  to  come?  Have  unmarried 
people,  a  right  to  remain  unmarried,  under  these 
conditions  ?  Or,  to  carry  the  issue  to  a  finality,  have 
any  adult  human  beings  who  possess  the  power  of 
reproduction,  any  right  to  deliberately  determine 
that  they  will  never,  under  any  circumstances,  be- 
come fathers  or  mothers? 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  point  we  are  now  con- 
sidering, when  thus  logically  carried  to  an  ultimate 
issue,  reveals,  with  the  utmost  clearness,  certain 
items  that  are  clouded,  to  say  the  least,  in  the  minds 
of  many  good  people.  Let  us  see  just  what  an 
affirmative  answer  to  this  question  would  involve. 

Of  course,  no  one  could  claim  for  a  moment  that 
all  single  people  should  be  compelled  by  law  to  marry, 
or  that  it  is  wrong  for  any  who  choose  to  do  so,  to 
remain  in  life-long  celibacy.     To  enforce  such  com- 


190         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

pulsion  for  the  first,  or  to  refuse  to  permit  such 
action  on  the  part  of  the  latter,  would  be  wholly  at 
variance  to  the  principle  of  individual  liberty,  and 
amount  to  nothing  less  than  unbearable  tyranny! 
And  yet,  all  these  people  by  a  deliberate  act  of  the 
will,  by  exercising  the  power  of  choice,  do  keep  apart 
the  human  life-germs  where  meeting  might  at  least 
result  in  the  chance  of  reproduction  of  the  human 
species !  And  if  it  is  right  for  these  people  to  thus 
exercise  the  power  of  choice  in  the  matter  of  bring- 
ing children  into  this  world,  rather  than  to  take 
cluinces  in  the  premises,  by  this  method  of  accom- 
plishing such  a  result,  who  should  say,  or  by  what 
right  shall  the  claim  be  made  that  other  human  beings 
may  not  rightfully  do,  at  least  occasionally,  what 
they  do  perpetually? 

Suppose  you  try  to  think  that  question  through, 
and  to  answer  it  in  the  light  of  reason  and  common 
sense,  rather  than  according  to  fixed  ideas,  or  an 
established  conventionality,  and  see  what  comes  from 
so  doing!  If  you  will  do  this,  and  are  willing  to 
acknowledge  the  conclusion  you  come  to ;  and  if  your 
mind  and  mine  are  in  any  way  related  to  each  other, 
so  far  as  the  ability  to  reason  rightly  is  concerned, 
I  am  sure  we  shall  both  be  compelled  to  acknowledge 
that,  so  far  as  the  civilization  we  live  in  is  concerned, 
it  is  now  really  practically  universally  held  to  be 
right  to  render  all  the  reproductive  germ-cells  which 
human  beings  may  produce,  ineffective  by  keeping 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   191 

them  apart,  by  means  of  entirely  refraining  from  the 
sexual  act  which  would  bring  them  together !  But  if 
we  reach  this  conclusion,  see  what  follows:  Such  a 
conclusion  is  so  sweeping,  so  far-reaching,  and,  more 
than  all,  so  at  variance  with  what  we  have  all 
thoughtlessly  held  in  mind  up  to  the  present  time, 
that  it  needs  to  be  reviewed  once  more  to  make  sure 
that  it  is  really  correct.    Let  us  make  such  review : 

It  is  held  by  everybody  that  it  is  not  only  right, 
but  a  duty  and  a  virtue  of  the  highest  sort,  for  all 
unmarried  persons  to  render  ineffective  all  the  germ- 
cells  they  produce!  No  one  ever  thinks  of  charging 
such  people  with  "murder"  or  criminality  of  any 
sort  if  they  deliberately  keep  such  germs  apart.  No 
one  says  that  they  owe  a  duty  to  society,  or  the 
State,  or  the  church,  or  anybody  else,  to  place  them- 
selves in  a  condition  where  they  could  legally  bring 
such  germs  together.  Everybody  is  agreed  about 
this,  up  to  this  point.  And  this  can  mean  nothing 
else  than  that  the  rendering  of  human  life-germs 
inefficient  by  keeping  them  apart,  is  not  wrong,  as 
such,  and  in  and  of  itself !  And  this,  in  turn,  means, 
must  mean,  that  the  keeping  of  human  life-germs 
apart  is  not  of  itself  wrong,  or  wicked,  or  a  sin! 
Well  then,  if  it  is  not  a  wrong,  in  and  of  itself,  to 
keep  such  germs  apart,  by  what  law  of  equal  rights 
for  all  can  it  be  held  to  be  a  sin  for  some  people  and 
not  a  sin  for  other  people  to  keep  such  germs  from 
meeting?    Can  there  be  exceptions  to  a  general  rule, 


192         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

which  will  make  it  a  crime  for  some  people  to  do 
what  other  people  may  do  with  impunity?  And, 
under  these  conditions,  can  any  one,  or  any  number 
of  ones,  by  law,  or  by  any  other  rightful  means,  make 
that  wrong  for  some  which  is  right  for  others,  all  of 
such  parties  being  of  the  same  original  make-up,  and 
endowed  with  the  same  original  powers  and  abilities 
in  the  premises?  If  there  is  any  such  quality  as 
justice  or  right,  anywhere  in  the  world,  such  could 
never  be  evoked  to  bring  about  and  maintain  so 
unjust  and  unfair  a  condition  of  things  as  such 
arbitrary  ruling  would  constitute !  What  is  fair  and 
right  for  one  human  being  in  this  regard,  must  be 
fair  and  right  for  all  other  human  beings,  the  possi- 
bilities being  constantly  equal  and  the  same  in  all 
these  cases,  as  they  surely  are  in  this  particular. 
There  can  be  no  escape  from  this  conclusion,  as  all 
sane  people  must  admit. 

So  then,  by  this  study,  we  are  forced  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  keeping  of  human  life-germs  apart  is 
not  a  wrong,  in  and  of  itself,  and  that  this  fact  is 
generally  acknowledged  as  correct,  provided  the 
method  of  making  such  germs  inefficient  is  confined 
to  that  of  wholly  refraining  from  the  act  which 
would  give  some  of  them  a  chance  to  become  effective, 
that  is,  by  living  a  life  of  absolute  continence.  Let 
so  much  be  counted  as  settled. 

And  being  settled,  and  settled  in  this  way,  we  can 
discuss   the   case   of   the   two   young   people   whose 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  193 

deliberate  act  of  perpetually  refraining  from  the 
sexual  act  kept  the  germ-cells  they  produced  apart, 
and  so  hy  choice  kept  them  from  bearing  children. 
In  doing  as  they  did,  they  did  no  more  than  millions 
of  imrfmrried  people  do;  and  if  such  act  was  not 
wrong  in  the  one  case,  by  no  law  of  right  can  it  be 
counted  wrong  in  another  case — in  their  case ! 

"But,"  some  one  says,  "suppose  all  married  people 
should  do  as  these  young  people  did,  what  would 
become  of  Society  and  the  State  and  the  church 
under  these  circumstances?"  The  question  is  not 
pertinent,  so  far  as  it  applies  to  these  people  being 
married  is  concerned !  If  it  is  urged  at  all,  it  must  be 
asked  in  this  way:  Suppose  all  people  should  live 
lives  of  absolute  continence,  what  would  happen  then? 
That  is,  if  the  question  is  asked  at  all,  it  must  be 
made  to  apply  to  every  human  being  who  is  possessed 
of  the  possibilities  of  supplying  the  needs  of  Society, 
the  State  and  the  Church  with  supporters;  and  so 
long  as  individual  liberty  means  anything  at  all,  no 
such  wholesale  extension  of  responsibility  could  be 
considered  for  a  moment.  These  young  friends,  whose 
case  we  have  tried,  were  under  no  more  obligation  to 
supply  these  needs  after  they  were  married  than  they 
were  before;  and,  in  neither  case  or  condition  were 
they  any  more  responsible  for  supplying  these  needs 
than  were,  or  are,  all  the  millions  of  their  brother  and 
sister  human  beings,  married  or  single,  in  all  the 
world,  who  possess  the  means  for  bringing  about 


194         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

such  results !  Is  it  not  written  **God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons?"  and  what  is  right  for  one  who  has 
possibilities  for  producing  results  of  any  given  kind, 
must  be  equally  right  for  all  who  are  like-wise 
equipped!  "The  elementary  laws  never  apologize," 
but,  impartially,  they  apply  alike  to  all!  "Who 
hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear !" 

And  now  see  what  follows  from  this  chain  of 
reasoning,  if  the  principle  it  has  led  us  to  is  correct, 
as  it  undeniably  is !  The  point  is  established  that  the 
keeping  of  human  germ-cells  apart  by  the  exercise  of 
the  power  of  choice  is  not  wrong,  in  and  of  itself,  and 
it  is  further  universally  held  that  it  is  right  and 
proper  for  any  human  beings  to  exercise  such  power 
of  choice  in  this  matter,  by  entirely  refraining  from 
the  sex  act  which  might  bring  the  germs  together,  by 
living  a  life  of  absolute  continence.  That  is,  the 
conclusion  is  reached  that  it  is  no  crime  to  keep  these 
germs  apart,  provided  the  rendering  of  them  ineffi- 
cient is  brouglit  about  in  a  certain  way.  But  such 
conclusion  inevitably  suggests  the  question  whether 
or  not  this  one  way,  or  any  one  way  of  keeping  these 
germs  from  efficiency  has  a  monopoly  in  the  premises? 
If  it  is  not  wrong  to  keep  human  germ-cells  from 
realizing  their  possibilities  by  one  method,  is  it  wrong 
to  bring  about  the  same  result  by  some  other  method f 
That  is,  is  there  anything  sacred  or  beyond  competi- 
tion,  in   the   method   which   is   now   so   universally 


The  Pros  amd  Cons  of  the  Isstues  Involved  195 

approved,  or  may  other  methods  be  rightfully  utilized 
for  producing  the  same  results? 

With  the  point  established,  that  the  deliberate 
keeping  of  germ-cells  from  fully  functioning  is  no 
crime,  in  and  of  itself,  would  it  not  seem  that  the 
manner  of  bringing  about  such  results  becomes  a 
matter  of  indifference,  so  far  as  the  result  itself  is 
concerned  ?  To  be  sure,  any  such  method  that  might 
be  used  for  such  purpose  must  be  of  such  nature 
that  it  will  work  no  harm,  physically,  mentally  or 
spiritually,  to  those  who  adopt  it;  but  its  Tightness 
or  wrongness  must  be  judged  from  such  standpoint 
alone,  and  none  other.  The  rightness  or  wrongness 
of  the  results  produced  being  established,  the  right- 
ness or  wrongness  of  the  method  which  produced  the 
results  must  be  determined  on  its  own  merits. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of  the  main 
issue  of  all,  namely:  Is  it  right  that  the  sexual  act 
which  nature  utilizes  as  the  only  means  of  bringing 
human  germ-cells  together  should  be  used  for  any 
other  purpose  than  that  of  affecting  such  union  of 
these  vital  forces?  Or,  to  put  it  the  other  way  about : 
Is  it  wrong,  or  sinful  for  human  beings  to  give  their 
sex  nature  any  other  mode  of  expression  than  that  of 
offering  an  opportunity  for  germ-cells  to  unite? 
And  this  leads  us  back  to  the  original  question  as  to 
whether  sex  in  the  human  species  is  designed  by  the 
Maker  of  sex  to  serve  any  other  purpose  than  that 


196         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  reproduction?  And  the  answer  to  this  involves 
the  fact  of  the  "plus  of  humanity"  concerning  which 
much  has  been  said  in  previous  chapters.  This  is  an 
issue,  in  and  of  itself,  which  I  can  only  mention  here, 
and  which  I  shall  fully  discuss  later  on.  Till  then, 
let  it  rest  at  the  point  to  which  I  have  so  far 
brought  it. 

Meantime,  while  we  wait,  there  is  one  more  item  to 
be  considered  in  the  matter  of  rendering  human 
germ-cells  inefficient  through  the  exercise  of  the 
power  of  choice  on  the  part  of  men  and  women,  and 
that  is,  the  right,  or  rights,  of  the  cells  themselves,  or 
of  certain  individuals  of  them  in  particular.  It  is 
held,  in  some  quarters,  that  at  least  some  of  these 
germ-cells  have  a  right  to  come  to  the  full  expression 
of  their  possibilities,  and  that  to  keep  them  from  so 
doing  is  wrong  and  a  sin.  This  is  a  point  that  is 
worthy  of  looking  into,  especially  because  of  the  quite 
extended  field  in  which  it  is  held  to  be  true. 

Those  who  hold  this  view  declare  that  germ-cells 
possess  life,  and  that  it  is  a  sin  to  destroy  such  life 
by  an  act  of  deliberate  human  choice.  Let  us  look 
into  such  a  proposition  in  the  light  of  common 
sense,  and  of  things  as  they  are,  as  well. 

There  is  no  doubt  about  human  germ-cells  pos- 
sessing life,  and  the  multiplicity  of  such  life  is  al- 
most beyond  computation.  As  already  noted,  for 
more  than  thirty  years  of  her  life,  every  normal 
female  being  produces  at  least  thirteen  unfertilized 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved   )  97 

egg-cells  every  year ;  and  the  number  of  spermatazoa 
that  a  normal  healthy  man  produces  in  a  life-time 
is  practically  past  finding  out.  In  the  ordinary 
course  of  nature,  the  great  bulk  of  these  perish,  as 
I  have  more  than  once  shown,  and  never  reach  an 
attainment  which  they  all  possess  the  possibility  of 
fulfilling!  The  average  human  female  who  reaches 
the  age  of  fifty  years  produces  more  than  four  hun- 
dred egg-cells  during  her  lifetime,  and  even  with 
those  who  have  "large  families"  only  a  comparatively 
few  of  these  ever  attain  to  the  full  the  inherent  pos- 
sibilities which  they  all  possess ;  while,  with  the  aver- 
age mother  who  bears  three  or  four  children  only, 
not  one  per  cent  of  such  germ-cells  are  utilized  for 
reproduction.  And  amongst  men,  all  and  several, 
the  product  of  life-germs  which  are  made  ready  for 
each  possible  sex-meeting  exceed  two-and-a-half  mil- 
lions, every  germ  of  which  possesses  life  in  itself. 
And  the  number  of  sex-meetings  that  a  normal  man 
is  capable  of  affecting  and  still  maintain  good 
health,  is,  in  many  cases,  from  the  age  of  twenty 
to  sixty,  not  less  than  the  number  of  days  he  lives 
during  that  period  of  his  life.  And  yet,  though  all 
these  numberless  germ-cells,  of  both  sorts,  thus  pos- 
sess life,  are  truly  alive,  in  and  of  themselves,  they 
nearly  all  die,  or  at  least  do  not  fulfill  the  purpose 
of  reproduction  for  which  they  primarily  exist. 

"But,"  say  the  devotees  of  the  theory  we  are  now 
considering,  "it  is  nature  which  thus  disposes  of  this 


198         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

immense  surplus,  and  man  cannot  be  held  responsible 
for  what  nature  does.  The  only  thing  for  human- 
ity to  do,  under  these  conditions,  is  to  let  nature 
do  her  work,  and  not  to  interfere  with  her,  in  any 
way.  And  deliberately  to  do,  even  occasionally, 
what  she  does  continually,  is  to  meddle  with  her 
working,  and  that  is  something  that  man  should 
never  do,  where  life  is  concerned !"  This  is  what  the 
advocates  of  this  theory  say^  though  it  hardly  seems 
possible  that  sane  and  thoughtful  human  beings 
could  even  conceive  such  fin  idea ! 

For,  look  you,  if  this  saying  be  correct,  what  shall 
we  say  of  those  who  refuse  to  marry,  or  who  vow 
that  they  will  never  do  so?  These,  by  a  deliberate 
act  of  their  own  will,  render  aU  their  germ-cells  in- 
efficient !  They  condemn  every  one  of  these  elements 
which  possess  life  to  absolute  extermination !  They 
*'meddle  with  nature"  to  the  nth  degree,  and  none  of 
the  advocates  of  this  theory  we  are  now  talking 
about  molest  them  or  make  them  afraid  in  the  least ! 
And  yet — oh,  brethren  and  sisters,  it  won't  do !  The 
theory  which  insists  on  married  people  utilizing  to 
the  limit  of  possibilities,  aU  the  germ-cells  they  pro- 
duce, is  based  on  nothing  but  an  alleged  "authority" 
which  has  no  foundation  whatever  to  rest  upon,  but 
which  is  like  unto  a  man  who  would  endeavor  to  stand 
in  mid-air  on  the  wooden  legs  of  a  begged  premise, 
and  thus  equipped,  assume  to  defy  the  laws  of  grav- 
ity and  overturn  a  world! 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  199 

It  was  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  this  theory  who 
has  insisted  that,  amongst  married  people,  every 
possible  opportunity  should  be  offered  germ-cells 
to  unite,  and  that  every  married  couple  should  have 
as  many  children  as  they  could  possibly  produce, 
utterly  regardless  of  anything  but  the  number  of 
progeny  they  bring  forth.  Another  of  these  has 
said  that  it  is  better  to  be  bom  deaf,  dumb  and 
blind,  or  so  diseased  that  one  could  live  for  only  a 
moment,  than  not  to  be  born  at  all.  Others  of  this 
belief  picture  myriads  of  souls,  waiting  with  out- 
stretched hands,  begging  to  be  bom  into  this  world, 
and  that  every  possible  opportunity  should  be  of- 
fered these  anxious  beings  to  realize  their  desires; 
and  hence,  they  argue,  it  is  wicked  for  married  peo- 
ple to  in  any  way  hinder  what  they  so  much  long 
for.  The  answer  to  such  a  demand  is  the  one  al- 
ready given,  namely,  why  confine  this  insistence  to 
married  people,  or  why  blame  these  alone  if  their 
prayers  are  not  answered? 

The  simple  truth  is  that  neither  those  who  hold 
this  theory,  nor  any  one  else,  really  knows,  to  a  cer- 
tainty, anything  about  what  the  condition  of  indi- 
vidual life  is  preceding  birth,  or  how  or  when  or 
where  such  identities  originate.  The  wisest  remark 
on  this  score  that  I  have  ever  known  of,  was  made 
by  a  sage  of  ripe  years  and  experience,  who  wrote 
me  a  letter  in  which  he  said:  "From  the  womb  of 
Infinity,  in  the  realm  of  mystery,  we  are  born ;  but 


200          Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

where,  or  when,  or  how  we  come  into  being,  mortals 
may  never  know."  And  that  sentence,  I  think,  tells 
all  that  any,  even  the  wisest,  know  about  the  mar- 
velous fact  of  the  presence  of  individual  human 
beings  in  this  world.  And,  on  this  basis,  it  would 
seem  good  sense,  at  least,  not  to  bring  individual 
beings  into  this  world,  unless  they  can  have  at  least 
a  reasonable  opportunity  to  become  what  it  would 
seem  the  Maker  of  human  beings  designed  that  they 
might  attain  to.  Doesn't  that  seem  like  a  whole- 
some proposition? 

The  fact  is  that  the  holders  of  these  theories  base 
their  philosophies  on  an  other-worldliness,  rather 
than  on  a  this-worldliness,  when  reason  and  common 
sense  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  conditions  that 
individuals  have  to  meet  in  this  world  should  be 
the  first  to  consider,  when  the  item  of  giving  such 
an  individual  a  being  and  a  place  in  time  and  space 
hangs  in  the  balance  awaiting  a  decision.  And  that 
such  an  issue  should  be  carefully  considered  and 
wisely  and  thoughtfully  acted  upon  must  appeal  to 
all  sane  people  as  just  and  right,  ever  and  always. 

Under  these  conditions,  to  insist  that  human 
germ-cells  have  a  right  to  be  brought  together  when- 
ever opportunity  for  their  union  is  possible,  re- 
gardless of  the  conditions  into  which  the  being  might 
be  bom,  which  this  uniting  might  result  in,  is  not 
only  folly,  but,  in  many  instances,  a  positive  crime ! 
Whatever  rights  to   coalesce  such  germ-cells  may 


The  Pros  and  Cons  of  the  Issues  Involved  201 

possess,  their  rights  must  be  set  over  against  the 
rights  of  the  individuals  that  may  be  born  if  this 
union  is  effected;  and  to  permit  them  to  have  their 
way,  when  such  action  would  result  in  the  misery 
and  woe  of  what  they  produce,  cannot  be  right  or 
reasonable  or  sane !  Why  it  is  urged  in  some  quar- 
ters I  shall  point  out  in  due  time. 

To  sum  up  a  bit,  just  here,  it  seems  to  me  that  we 
have  now  established  the  fact  that  it  is  not  wrong 
for  human  beings,  married  or  unmarried,  by  a  de- 
liberate act  of  the  will,  that  is  by  choice,  to  render 
human  germ-cells  inefficient,  which  is  only  another 
way  of  saying  that  it  is  not  wrong  for  them  to  have 
children  by  choice  rather  than  by  chance.  The 
point  yet  left  to  consider  is  as  to  whether  it  is  right 
to  use  one  way,  and  one  way  only,  in  bringing  about 
this  result. 

Without  any  further  beating  about  the  bush,  let 
us  proceed  at  once  to  state  the  issue,  as  follows :  As 
the  case  now  stands,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  practically 
all  married  people  do  engage  in  the  act  which  may 
result  in  bringing  together  the  germ-cells  they  pro- 
duce. And  they  do  this  without  the  definite  pur- 
pose or  desire  of  reproduction.  That  is,  in  this 
way,  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases,  they  "chance" 
the  issue  as  to  whether  the  germs  unite  or  not! 
They  never  know,  to  a.  certainty,  whether  fertiliza- 
tion will  or  will  not  take  place  from  this  sexual 
meeting,   and  they  blindly  take  chances,  one  way 


202  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

or  the  other.  It  is  because  of  this  undeniable  fact 
that  it  remains  true  to  this  day,  that  at  least  ninety 
per  cent  of  the  children  that  are  bom  into  this  world 
come  into  being  not  by  choice,  but  by  chance !  The 
question  is,  in  view  of  all  that  has  gone  before  in 
this  book,  are  these  results  the  best  that  the  desire 
and  the  imagination  and  the  ingenuity  of  mankind 
can  produce;  and  is  it  wrong  that  better  results 
should  be  sought  for  and  established,  if  ever  they 
can  be  found?  That  is,  if  some  way  or  ways  could 
be  found  by  means  of  which  husbands  and  wives 
could  determine  by  choice  how  many,  and  when  and 
how  they  should  have  children,  would  the  finding  of 
such  way,  and  the  practice  of  the  same  be  wrong? 
And  this  brings  us  once  more  to  the  issue  of  the 
rightness  or  the  wrongness  of  sex-expression  for  pur- 
poses other  than  that  of  reproduction,  and  so  makes 
a  fit  ending  for  the  chapter  on  the  pros  and  cons  of 
the  issue  at  stake,  as  we  have  so  far  considered  it. 


CHAPTEB  XI 

SOME  REVIEWS  AND  DEMONSTRATIONS  OF  THE  PLUS  OF 

HUMANITY,  AS  IT  APPLIES  TO  SEX  IN  THE 

HUMAN   SPECIES 

Before  entering  directly  upon  the  definite  study 
to  be  made  in  this  particular  chapter,  it  will  be  well 
to  refresh  our  minds  somewhat  as  to  what  is  com- 
prehended in  the  phrase  "The  Plus  of  Humanity.'* 

So  far,  we  have  seen  that  The  Plus  of  Humanity, 
as  used  in  these  studies,  includes  all  those  qualities 
and  expressions  which  exist  in  human  beings  over 
and  above  all  similar  qualities  and  expressions  which 
exist  in  any  and  all  forms  of  life  below  mankind ; 
and  that  it  is  this  something  added  to  the  animal 
man  which  makes  him  a  human  being! 

Thus,  it  was  shown  in  a  previous  chapter  that  in 
the  item  of  physical  appetite  for  food  (a  quality 
which,  in  its  fundamental  forms,  human  beings  share 
in  common  with  the  brute  creation),  there  is  an 
added  something  in  the  manner  in  which  this  quality 
expresses  itself  in  the  human  species,  over  and  above 
its  manner  of  expression  in  lower  forms  of  life. 
This  same  characteristic  was  pointed  out  as  equally 

203 


204         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

in  evidence  in  the  case  of  eje-sight  and  hearing; 
and,  with  like  force,  it  might  have  been  noted  that 
it  also  applies  to  the  senses  of  touch  and  smell. 

In  all  these  forms  of  life-expression,  it  was  shown 
that  there  is,  in  the  human  species,  a  double  manner 
of  manifestation,  a  two-fold  means  of  serving  and 
upbuilding  the  beings  of  whose  existence  they  form 
an  integral  part.  The  first  mode  of  expression  of 
these  qualities  in  human  beings  deals  almost  entirely 
with  the  material  part  of  mankind,  in  practically 
an  identical  manner  in  which  it  functions  in  lower 
life-forms.  The  second,  in  all  its  varied  demon- 
strations, has  to  do  with  the  mental  and  spiritual 
upbuilding  of  the  beings  upon  whom  its  influence  is 
thrown.  And  because  the  mental  and  spiritual  man 
is  of  far  more  moment,  is  of  a  higher  order  of  be- 
ing, than  is  his  material  make-up,  for  this  reason, 
the  form  of  life-expression  which  constitutes  the  plus 
of  humanity  is  of  far  more  importance,  and  of  more 
genuine  worth,  so  far  as  the  progress  of  the  race 
is  concerned,  than  is  that  which  deals  chiefly  with 
his  grosser  elements.  This  principle  has  been 
shown  as  undeniably  true  as  it  applies  to  all  the 
human  characteristics  thus  far  mentioned,  and  it  is 
the  business  of  this  chapter  to  demonstrate  its  equal 
applicability  to  sex,  as  this  quality  exists  in  the 
human  species. 

With  regard  to  this  phase  of  the  issue,  let  it  again 
be  noted  that  mankind  constitutes  the  only  species 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         ^05 

in  which  this  double  form  of  expression  of  the  in- 
herent qualities  that  go  to  make  up  life-forms  mani- 
fests itself  in  any  way.  But  that  such  two-fold 
form  of  expression  does  exist  in  the  human  race,  no 
one  will  deny,  now  that  the  fact  is  pointed  out. 
And,  this  being  the  case,  since  man  has  the  possi- 
bility of  such  double  form  of  expression,  it  is  at 
least  a  reasonable  presumption  that  this  added  qual- 
ity was  given  him  for  his  use,  wherever  it  can  be 
made  to  apply ;  and,  hence,  a  something  to  be  culti- 
vated and  made  the  most  of,  rather  than,  in  any  of 
its  phases,  to  be  ignored,  or  uprooted,  or  despised, 
or  counted  as  an  error  in  man's  construction,  or  as 
a  sin  in  its  functioning  and  results,  whenever  it  is  in 
evidence ! 

Indeed,  all  history  shows  that  it  is  by  the  exer- 
cise of  these  qualities  which  constitute  the  Plus  of 
Humanity  that  all  human  progress  has  been 
brought  about.  And  tcr  destroy,  or  fail  to  utilize 
this  part  of  man's  possessions  in  every  realm  of  its 
activity,  would  result  not  only  in  returning  the  race 
to  barbarism,  but,  ultimately,  it  would  make  the  hu- 
man species  one  form  of  brute  existence,  merely  that 
and  nothing  more ! 

If  the  cooking  of  food  and  the  use  of  table  fur- 
nishings should  be  abandoned,  only  the  lowering  of 
the  standards  of  human  life  could  result  from  such 
elimination  of  these  time-proven  helps  to  human 
progress.     If  all  that  comes  to  man  through  eye- 


206  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

sight,  except  the  item  of  keeping  him  out  of  the 
ditch  and  of  showing  him  where  to  find  food,  should 
be  abrogated,  he  could  not  continue  to  live  the  life 
that  he  now  lives.  If  the  ears  of  man  could  bring 
him  no  more  than  animals'  ears  bring  to  them,  he 
would  be  no  more  than  the  mere  flesh  and  blood 
which  they  are.  But  man  is  more  than  flesh  and 
blood,  and  it  is  the  Plus  of  his  Humanity  which  has 
made  him  so! 

This  is  all  a  review,  but  it  is  well  to  call  it  to 
mind,  again,  just  here. 

And  now  let  us  advance  a  step  and  endeavor  to 
show  that  what  is  true  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity,  as 
it  applies  to  the  qualities  we  have  so  far  discussed, 
is  equally  true  in  the  matter  of  sex,  item  for  item! 

On  this  count,  let  us  first  note  that  the  uniqueness 
of  this  quality,  as  it  exists  in  the  human  species,  is 
just  as  pronounced  in  the  matter  of  sex  as  it  is  in 
the  senses  we  have  considered.  No  animal  below 
man  possesses  the  possibility  of  more  than  one  form 
of  sex-expression!  In  all  the  lower  orders  of  life, 
this  part  of  their  make-up  serves  one  purpose,  and 
one  only,  namely,  that  of  reproduction  of  the  spe- 
cies, of  a  continuation  of  some  particular  form  of 
life  like  unto  themselves.  More  than  this  it  is  not, 
more  than  this  it  cannot  be  or  become. 

Besides  all  this,  in  all  forms  of  life  below  mankind, 
sex-functioning,  like  the  uses  of  hunger  and  seeing 
and  hearing,  is  wholly  a  matter  of  instinct ;  and,  as 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         207 

such,  is  in  no  way  subject  to  the  influence  or  control 
of  the  will.  That  is,  in  all  these  forms  of  life,  re- 
production is  neither  a  matter  of  chance  nor  of 
choice,  but  is  as  fixed  as  fate,  a  something  that  the 
beings  which  are  subject  to  its  dictates  and  direc- 
tions can  neither  increase,  nor  diminish,  nor  regu- 
late in  any  way,  by  any  determination  of  their  own. 
In  this  regard,  there  is  nothing  put  into  their  keep- 
ing, or  which  exists  as  a  part  of  their  make-up, 
which  they  could  utilize  on  their  own  initiative,  if 
they  chose  to  do  so!  They  are  simply  forms  of 
life  which  are  forced  to  obey  what  they  have  no 
power  to  resist  or  divert,  or  overcome!  As  some 
one  has  well  said,  all  these  life-forms  are  practically 
sex-less,  except  at  such  times  as  instinct  virtually 
compels  them  to  function  in  this  part  of  their  being. 

Now  all  this  means  that  there  is  a  possibility  of 
sex-expression  in  human  beings  which  is  entirely  be- 
yond that  which  exists  in  any  other  life-forms,  just 
as  there  are  possibilities  of  the  exercise  of  the  five 
senses  in  the  human  species  in  ways  which  mere 
animals  know  nothing  of.  And  this  difference  in 
the  possibilities  of  sex-expression  puts  humanity  in 
a  class  by  itself  among  life-forms,  in  the  item  of  sex, 
just  as  truly  as  the  diff^erence  in  the  possibilities  of 
eye-sight  and  hearing,  as  these  qualities  can  be  ex- 
ercised by  human  beings,  removes  them  from  the 
sphere  of  mere  animality. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  treatment  of  the 


208         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

whole  sex  question,  as  it  exists  in  humanity,  can 
never  be  rightly  undertaken  or  worked  out,  if  it  be 
considered  solely  as  though  it  were  merely  an  ani- 
mal adjunct. 

The  utility  and  the  value  of  sex-expression  as  a 
human  quality,  are  as  unique  and  as  varied  as  are 
those  of  any  other  of  the  human  faculties.  This  is 
a  fact  which  is  almost  universally  ignored  or  denied 
by  multitudes  of  people  who  ought  to  know  better 
than  to  treat  the  subject  thus ;  and  it  is  such  neglect 
or  denial  that  results  in  untold  misery  and  woe  to 
countless  human  beings  who  might  live  happy  and 
wholesome  lives  if  this  part  of  their  being  were  prop- 
erly recognized,  its  needs  provided  for  and  its  whole- 
some training  and  cultivation  righteously  under- 
taken. But,  as  things  now  are,  all  social  conven- 
tions and  even  legal  enactments  make  it  well  nigh 
impossible  to  realize  such  results.  But  that  these 
conditions  will  not  always  obtain  is  as  certain  as  is 
the  progress  of  tlie  human  race.  It  may  be  slow 
in  coming,  but  that  it  will  some  day  arrive  is  as  sure 
as  sunrise. 

Again,  the  Plus  of  Humanity,  as  it  applies  to  sex, 
is  shown  by  the  universal  practice  among  those  to 
whom  such  manner  of  living  is  permitted,  of  forms  of 
sex-expression  which  do  not  exist,  and  which  are  im- 
possible among  the  lower  forms  of  life.  Married 
men  and  women  habitually  express  themselves  sex- 
ually,  in   ways   which,  in   and  of  themselves,  have 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         209 

nothing  whatever  to  do  with  reproduction,  as  such, 
either  by  way  of  purpose  or  of  desire!  More  than 
this,  the  experiences  of  great  numbers  of  these  hus- 
bands and  wives,  in  this  regard,  prove,  beyond  the 
possibility  of  doubt,  that  such  experiences,  when 
they  are  perfectly  mutual^  promote  the  well-being 
of  the  parties  thereto,  physically,  mentally  and  spir- 
itually! When  such  individuals  are  truly  mated, 
such  manifestations  of  their  mutual  love  result  in 
good  health,  mental  stimulation  and  spiritual  uplift 
and  exaltation.  As  previously  noted,  such  people 
are  not  only  longer  lived  than  the  average,  but  they 
come  far  nearer  being  normal  human  beings  than 
those  who  cannot,  or  do  not,  experience  these  whole- 
some delights  of  life.  They  are  better  natured, 
wiser,  happier  and  holier  than  aye  those  who  cannot 
express  themselves  in  this  way. 

Nor  is  this  manner  of  sex-expression  by  any  means 
confined  to  the  sex  organs,  as  such.  I  have  termed 
it  the  "affectional'^  part  of  sex-expression,  and  its 
varied  ,  manifestations  include  every  possible  ex- 
change of  the  natural  impulses  of  men  and  women, 
all  the  way  from  a  touch  of  hands,  a  glance  of  the 
eyes,  a  meeting  of  the  lips,  to  the  very  climax  of 
sexual  union.  All  these  are,  when  absolutely  mu- 
tual, but  the  ways  of  love;  and  being  so,  they  are 
the  ways  of  life;  for,  in  the  human  species,  only  the 
ways  of  love  are  really  the  ways  of  life. 

But,  alack  and  alas,  as  married  people  now  live, 


210         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

how  few  of  them  ever  realize  these  greatest  of  all 
possibilities!  Could  thcj  do  so,  divorce  courts 
could  go  out  of  business,  and  the  places  which  once 
knew  such  abnormalities  would  know  them  no  more 
forever.  For  divorce  courts  are  really  abnormali- 
ties !  They  arc  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  nat- 
ural and  inevitably  necessary  result  of  an  abnormal 
manner  of  life  among  men  and  women  who  are  only 
legally  held  together ;  and  what  law  alone  has  united, 
law  has  an  equal  right  to  separate!  But,  in  both 
cases,  the  whole  affair  is  an  abnormality.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  in  a  true  marriage,  where  a  man 
and  a  woman  are  joined  together  because  they  are 
each  other's  natural  complements  and  mates,  with 
such,  divorce  courts  can  have  nothing  to  do.  Never 
was  such  a  legal  and  man-made  device  called  upon 
to  dissolve  or  to  dissever  a  union  that  was  truly 
grounded  in  the  absolute  mutuality  of  the  parties 
thereto!  And  it  is  further  true,  that  no  divorce 
court  was  ever  called  upon  to  separate  a  husband 
and  wife  the  affectional  side  of  whose  lives  was  mu- 
tually responsive  and  mutually  responded  to!  In 
the  presence  of  a  fact  like  this,  it  would  seem  to  be 
true  that  the  best  way  in  the  world  to  rid  society  of 
the  divorce  courts  would  be  to  teach  husbands  and 
wives  how  to  live  lives  of  normal  sex-affectional  ex- 
pression!    Isn't  that  good  sense? 

Because,   you    see,   divorce    courts    are   thronged 
with  husbands  and  wives  who  quarrel  over  the  re- 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         211 

productive  side  of  married  life,  as  they  permit  it  to 
become  involved  in  the  affectional  part  of  sex-expres- 
sion. They  either  fail  to  recognize  the  reality  and 
the  value  of  such  mode  of  expression,  as  such;  or 
through  ignorance,  or  carelessness,  or  stupidity  they 
fail  to  develop  it  or  practice  it.  It  is  perfectly  safe 
to  say  that  never  a  divorce  was  asked  for,  where 
such  a  difference  regarding  the  sex-expression  of 
the  parties  concerned  was  not  in  evidence  as  the  chief 
cause  of  all  the  trouble  involved!  But  let  us  not 
wander  too  far  from  our  main  theme  in  pursuing  this 
particular  phase  of  the  subject  in  hand. 

It  is  held  by  some  materialists  that  the  delights 
of  the  affectional  expression  of  the  sex  nature  in 
human  beings  are,  as  it  were,  imposed  upon  man- 
kind merely  as  a  stimulant  whose  purpose  it  is  to 
give  the  chance  of  reproduction  a  greater  range  than 
it  would  otherwise  have.  Their  claim  is  that  if  the 
matter  of  reproduction  were  removed  from  the 
sphere  of  instinct  as  it  exists  among  mere  animals, 
and  made  to  come  within  the  realm  of  will-control, 
as  it  has  come  to  be  among  human  beings,  the  dan- 
ger would  be  that  the  race  would  cease  to  breed, 
unless  some  extra  means  was  brought  to  bear  upon 
individuals  to  lead  them  to  do  what  they  would  fail 
to  do  but  for  this  added  inducement  to  produce  a 
required  result!  This  theory  is  on  par  with  that 
which  holds  that  the  long  neck  of  the  giraffe  was  ac- 
quired by  its  po^essor  continuously  reaching  for  the 


21^  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

topmost  leaves  on  trees,  or  that  the  elephant's  tail 
fell  into  **innocuous  desuetude"  because  its  hide  was 
so  thick  that  flies  could  not  bite  through  it,  and  so 
did  not  need  to  be  whisked  off!  And  yet,  curious 
fact,  this  same  nearly  tail-less  quadruped  will  stand 
and  lash  flies  off"  its  side  all  day  with  a  wisp  of  hay 
held  in  its  trunk,  and  a  giraffe  will  eat  grass  like 
an  ox  with  tall  trees  standing  all  about !  What  won- 
der that  \Vliitman  says:  "No  theory  is  of  any  ac- 
count whatever  that  does  not  tally  with  the  ampli- 
tude of  the  whole  earth." 

And  this  theory  as  to  why  an  extra  urgency  had 
to  be  given  to  man  to  make  him  breed,  is  just  as 
foolish  as  is  the  way  of  accounting  for  the  long  neck 
of  the  giraffe,  or  the  short  tail  of  the  elephant.  As 
well  argue  that  the  purpose  of  the  cooking  of  food 
and  of  well-set  tables  is  a  necessity,  which  was  added 
to  the  human  race  to  keep  men  from  starving  to 
death,  or  that  pictures  and  reading  were  invented 
to  keep  them  from  going  blind,  or  that  music  came 
into  being  to  save  man's  ears  from  growing  shut ! 
No!  No!  None  of  these  theories  will  account  for, 
or  are  at  all  needed  to  account  for  the  fact  of  the 
existence  of  the  aff^ectional  side  of  sex  expression. 
It  is  a  quality  which  is  added  to  this  part  of  man's 
make-up  for  the  cultivation  of  his  higher  nature,  of 
his  mental  and  spiritual  characteristics,  just  as  good 
cooking  and  pleasingly  set  tables,  and  pictures  and 
books,  and  fine  music,  and  art  of  all  sorts  and  de- 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         213 

scriptions,  have  come  into  being  to  minister  to  some- 
thing more  than  the  mere  animal  in  man,  namely,  to 
the  Plus  of  Humanity.  These  are  all  the  product  of 
a  "creative  evolution,"  as  Bergson  would  say,  rather 
than  the  necessity  of  a  material  and  unguided  evo- 
lution, whose  chief  factor  for  producing  varied  re- 
sults was  chance,  and  whose  means  of  perpetuating 
the  same  was  crass  force  and  favoring  environment. 
Affectional  sex-expression  came  into  being  for  the 
same  cause,  and  in  the  same  manner  as  these  other 
stimulants  to  a  larger  life  have  come ;  and,  as  such, 
it  should  be  recognized  and  provided  for,  and 
righteously  cultivated. 

Again:  The  fact  that  affectional  sex-expression 
belongs  to  The  Plus  of  Humanity  rather  than  to  the 
more  material  part  of  man's  make-up,  is  proved  by 
this,  namely,  that,  as  such,  it  is  no  necessary  element 
in  the  matter  of  reproduction !  The  fertilization  of 
human  egg-cells  may  be  brought  about  without  in 
the  least  involving  any  exercise  whatever  of  the  af- 
fectional part  of  sex-expression.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary to  produce  such  a  result  is  to  bring  the  two 
elements,  the  egg-cell  and  its  vivifying  complement, 
together,  in  a  proper  environment,  and  the  desired 
effect  is  secured.  This  not  only  can  be  done,  but 
has  been  done,  by  purely  mechanical  means,  through 
the  use  of  a  surgical  instrument !  In  this  way,  all 
that  is  really  essential  for  producing  "conception" 
can  be  accomplished,  and  with  it  the  affectional  ele- 


214j         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

ment  of  sex-expression  need  have  no  more  to  do 
than  it  would  have  in  the  case  of  any  other  surgical 
operation,  as  the  amputation  of  an  arm,  or  the  re- 
moval of  a  vermiform  appendix !  Just  as  table-fur- 
nisliings  and  cooked  food  are  not  absolute  necessi- 
ties for  the  preservation  of  the  physical  life  of  man, 
just  so  affect ional  sex-expression  is  not  a  necessity 
for  the  preservation  of  the  human  species.  True,  in 
their  rightful  use,  they  both  add  much  to  the  well- 
being  of  the  physical  life  of  mankind ;  but  they  are 
an  added  help  to  produce  such  results;  they  belong 
to  the  plus  of  man's  being,  and,  as  such,  they  should 
not  be  treated  as  though  they  were  merely  animal 
qualities.  Their  chief  function  is  to  build  up  the 
mental  and  spiritual  part  of  man's  being;  and  it  is 
for  this  purpose  rather  than  for  any  other  that  they 
should  be  utilized. 

Of  course,  well-fumished  tables  and  well-cooked 
food  may  eventuate  in  mere  palate  gratification,  or 
even  in  gross  gluttony  itself ;  but  this  is  not  the  fault 
of  these  additions  to  the  partaking  of  food  on  the 
part  of  human  beings,  nor  should  these  helpful  ac- 
cessories be  abandoned  or  abolished  because  some 
people  abuse  their  possible  bcneficient  effects.  In 
like  manner  that  part  of  sex-expression  which  be- 
longs to  the  plus  of  humanity  should  not  be  aban- 
doned or  destroyed  because  there  are  people  who 
abuse  its  helpful  influences.  There  are  those  who 
abuse  the  reading  of  books  or  the  admiration  of 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         215 

pictures,  or  who  go  music-mad;  but  not  for  these 
reasons  should  the  art  of  printing  or  of  painting  be 
abolished,  or  that  of  music  be  rooted  out !  Analogy 
is  not  always  conclusive,  but  it  holds  good  in  these 
comparisons  to  the  utmost  degree!     Think  on  this! 

Once  more:  Another  proof  that  affectional  sex- 
expression  is  no  necessary  part  of  reproduction,  and 
so,  that  it  belongs  wholly,  as  such,  to  the  Plus  of 
Humanity,  is  the  fact  that  multitudes  of  wives  bear 
children,  sometimes  many  of  them,  without  experi- 
encing, in  the  least  degree,  any  of  the  emotions  and 
upbuilding  influences  which  should  accompany  all 
sex  manifestations  between  married  people.  What 
such  wives  do  is  to  yield  their  bodies,  often  reluc- 
tantly, and  sometimes  even  under  protest,  to  the 
conventional  and  legal  uses  which  their  husbands 
virtually  demand  of  them,  and  which  they  are  prac- 
tically forced  to  submit  to!  That  is  a  hard  say- 
ing, but  that  it  is  literally  true  is  well  known  by 
all  who  are  familiar  with  the  facts. 

My  own  opinion,  which  is  based  on  widely  extended 
observations  and  the  testimony  of  a  large  number 
of  wives  who  have  suffered  from  this  cause,  leads 
me  to  believe  that  these  unfortunate  conditions  exist 
largely  through  ignorance  on  the  part  of  both  hus- 
bands and  wives,  and  that  the  whole  situation  might 
be  greatly  relieved  if  these  same  people  could  be 
made  wise  where  now  they  wholly  lack  knowledge. 
It  is  true,  that  much  of  this  misery  is  caused  by 


216         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

the  carelessness  of  selfish  husbands.  Yet,  even  so, 
many  of  these  do  not  mean  to  be  as  bad  as  they 
really  are.  They  simply  don't  know,  and  hence 
they  blunder  along. 

Truth  to  tell,  a  large  share  of  all  this  trouble 
comes  from  the  way  in  which  the  marriage  ceremony 
teaches  both  men  and  women  to  view  their  relations 
as  husbands  and  wives.  By  the  very  wording  of 
that  document,  the  parties  thereto  are  virtually  de- 
clared to  obtain  certain  rights  which  they  did  not 
before  possess;  and  because  of  this  fact,  they  feel 
that  they  no  longer  need  to  win  what  they  desire, 
but  that  they  can  stand  on  their  rights,  and  take 
what  they  want,  whether  the  party  of  the  second 
part,  on  either  side,  is  willing  or  otherwise!  Such 
action  is  in  accord  with  both  law  and  custom;  and, 
so  entrenched,  it  continues  to  effect  its  injustices, 
not  to  say  horrors,  upon  millions  of  wives,  and  some 
husbands,  who  are  the  victims  of  its  antiquated  ways 
and  means.  Let  us  hope  that  these  things  will  not 
always  be  as  they  now  are !  Indeed,  even  now,  wher- 
ever afFectional  sex-expression  is  in  evidence  as  a 
mutual  factor  in  married  life,  none  of  these  evils 
appear.  But,  where  such  righteous  conditions  ex- 
ist, the  parties  thereto  have  learned  to  separate  the 
two  forms  of  sex-expression,  and  they  have  each  of 
them  under  complete  control.  It  is  because  I  know 
that  this  is  so,  and  that  I  have  seen  the  beneficent 
results  that  have  come  from  such  manner  of  married 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         217 

life,  that  I  believe  in  it  as  I  do,  and  that  I  am  anx- 
ious to  do  what  I  can  to  bring  as  many  husbands 
and  wives  as  possible  into  such  a  righteous  way  of 
living.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  am  writing  this 
book. 

The  time  has  come,  in  the  lives  of  all  intelligent 
and  wishing-to-do-the-right-thing  men  and  women, 
when  it  should  be  understood  that  true  marriage  is 
not,  on  the  one  hand,  a  legal  means  of  giving  free 
rein  to  the  husband's  sex  needs  or  desires ;  nor  is 
it,  on  the  other  hand,  an  institution  whose  function 
it  is  to  secure  for  the  wife  social  position,  or  some 
one  who  is  responsible  for  her  shelter  and  her  board 
and  clothes! 

As  divinely  ordained,  the  purpose  of  marriage  is 
two-fold,  and  each  part  of  its  double  design  is  of 
equal  value  and  moment.  It  can  rightly  exist  only 
on  a  fifty-fifty  basis,  and  everything  that  can  be 
done,  should  be  done,  to  bring  it  to  such  successful 
estate.  On  the  one  hand,  as  a  biological  institution 
merely,  it  offers  a  practical  means  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  human  species,  a  rightful  opportunity  for 
the  birth  and  rearing  of  children.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  should  be  the  centre  of  everything  that  per- 
tains to  the  Plus  of  Humanity  as  a  factor  in  human 
progress.  The  affectional  side  of  human  life,  as 
it  manifests  itself  in  myriads  of  ways,  should  be  the 
chief  element  in  all  its  out-workings.  It  should  give 
to  the  husband  and  wife  an  unrestricted  opportunity 


218         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

for  the  mutual  expressions  of  this  part  of  their  na- 
tures in  all  its  belongings,  and  the  same  influence 
should  be  in  evidence  in  every  part  of  the  household, 
whose  totality  is  included  in  the  word  "home." 
Truth  should  be  its  cornerstone,  and  love  the  arch 
to  its  doorway.  The  keystone  to  love's  arch  should 
be  courtesy,  with  justice  and  kindness  for  its  sup- 
porting pillars.  All  these  things  are  but  parts  of 
the  Plus  of  Humanity,  and  they  include  everything 
that  makes  for  human  progress,  for  the  well-being  of 
mankind.  Mere  animals  can  have  no  part  in  the 
like,  but  for  human  souls  they  are  the  chief  things 
in  life — all  that  life  is  really  for,  so  far  as  its  main 
issues  are  concerned. 

Another  proof  that  aff'ectional  sex-expression  is 
no  essential  element  in  reproduction,  and  so,  that  it 
has  an  entity  of  its  own,  which  is  justly  entitled  to 
recognition  and  regard,  is  the  fact  that  the  possi- 
bilities of  its  expression  are  manifest,  in  certain 
ways,  in  human  beings,  both  male  and  female,  long 
before  and  long  after  reproduction  is  possible  by 
either  of  these!  Children  show  signs  that  they  are 
possessed  of  this  quality,  some  of  them  even  in 
babyhood,  and  all  of  them  who  are  normal,  in  the 
early  years  of  their  lives,  certainly  long  before  they 
come  to  puberty.  These  manifestations  appear  in 
the  form  of  auto-erotic  acts  which  were  once  held 
to  be  abnormal,  but  wliich  are  now  recognized  as 
only  precocious  responses  to  innate  impulses  which 


Some  Rer^iews  and  Demonstrations         219 

are  to  serve  most  valuable  purposes  in  the  mature 
life  of  the  individual  of  whose  being  they  are  a  right- 
ful and  most  important  part.  It  is  true  that  such 
early  expressions  may  be  too  pronounced,  in  some 
cases;  but,  even  so,  they  are  to  be  rightly  directed 
rather  than  unduly  suppressed.  Much  less  should 
an  endeavor  be  made  to  annihilate  them,  or  to  de- 
stroy them,  root  and  branch !  Yet  such  is  the  treat- 
ment that  these  qualities  often  receive  at  the  hands 
of  ignorant,  even  if  well-meaning  parents.  For  this 
cause,  multitudes  of  children  and  youth,  of  both 
sexes,  are  needlessly  frightened  nearly  to  death,  and 
often  suffer  the  tortures  of  the  damned,  not  only  at 
the  hands  of  their  natural  guardians,  but  even  still 
more  from  their  own  wrong  mental  attitudes  towards 
this  part  of  their  much-misunderstood,  but  perfectly 
wholesome  belongings  which  they  have  been  wrongly 
taught  about.  This  particular  remark  may  not  go 
to  prove  the  rightful  place  of  afFectional  sex-expres- 
sion among  married  people,  but  the  point  I  have 
made  was  so  close  at  hand  that  I  could  not  help  re- 
marking it.  And  we  all  know  how  much  what  I 
have  said  needs  to  be  said. 

But  as  affectional  sex-expression  is  possible  be- 
fore the  age  of  puberty,  even  still  more  remarkable 
is  the  fact  that  it  persists,  in  both  men  and  women, 
long  after  the  possibilities  of  reproduction  have  dis- 
appeared. The  egg-cell  producing  period  for 
women  rarely  exceeds  the  age  of  forty-five  years; 


220         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

but  the  ability  for  affectional  sex-expression,  in  nor- 
mal women,  often  extends  to  extreme  old  age. 
Among  men,  this  item  of  the  limitation  of  a  possi- 
ble fertilizing  period  is  not  as  definitely  determined 
as  in  the  case  of  the  cell-producing  period  among 
women ;  but  in  normal  male  beings  who  have  not  lived 
abnormal  sex-lives,  the  possibilities  of  affectional 
sex-expression  remain  in  equal  proportion  to  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  rest  of  their  faculties. 

Still  another  proof  that  affectional  sex-expres- 
sion is  no  essential  part  of  reproduction  is  the  fact 
that,  in  tlie  case  of  normal  women  who  are  preg- 
nant, such  manifestation  of  this  part  of  their  na- 
tures is  not  only  possible,  but,  in  many  cases,  it  is 
more  in  evidence  than  at  any  other  time  in  their 
lives!  Such  experience  is  entirely  impossible  with 
all  other  female  life-forms,  many  of  whom  would 
fight  to  the  death  before  they  would  yield  their  bod- 
ies to  a  sexual  union  during  the  gestation  period. 
Beside  this,  no  male  of  the  lower  orders  of  animal 
life  ever  makes  any  sexual  advances  whatever 
towards  any  female  of  its  kind  that  is  pregnant. 
All  this  is  a  matter  of  instinct  with  these  life-forms ; 
and,  as  such,  eventuates  as  it  does.  But  in  the  hu- 
man species,  among  all  normal  individuals,  all  this 
is  different.  The  normal  wife  is  as  susceptible  to 
blissful  wooing  during  this  part  of  her  life  as  at 
any  other,  and  her  husband,  if  he  is  what  he  should 
be,  is  as  much,  or  more,  her  gentle  wooer  then  than 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         221 

at  any  other  time  in  all  their  married  experiences. 

And  may  I  be  permitted  to  add  that  most  of  the 
books  and  "authorities"  are  against  all  such  afFec- 
tional  sex-expression  during  the  gestation  period  of 
wives.  And  here  again,  the  same  old  wickedness  of 
making  a  comparison,  or  analogy,  between  human 
beings  and  mere  animals  gets  in  its  shameful  work! 
The  argument  runs  thus: 

A :  No  female  animal  will  submit  to  sexual  experi- 
ence during  the  gestation  period. 

B:  Woman  is  a  female  animal,  and,  therefore, 

C:  No  woman  should  submit  to,  or  permit  sexual 
expression  during  the  gestation  period. 

This  is  the  same  old  material  syllogism  that  is 
used  to  prove  that  reproduction  is  the  sole  func- 
tion of  sex  in  the  human  species,  as  I  have  noted  in 
a  previous  chapter,  and  it  is  as  wicked  as  it  is  un- 
true! It  entirely  leaves  out,  or  excludes  the  su- 
preme fact  of  The  Plus  of  Humanity  as  an  element 
of  human  life,  and  so  sets  up  as  truth  that  which  is 
really  the  most  stupid,  not  to  say  vicious  of  lies! 

The  fact  is,  that  afFectional  sex-expression  may 
reach  a  height  so  much  above  the  mere  reproductive 
element,  as  such,  that,  in  its  demonstrations  it  need 
not  consider  at  all,  or  in  the  least,  the  more  ma- 
terial portion  of  this  in-some-ways  dual  function  of 
this  part  of  humanity's  make-up.  Indeed,  because 
of  the  wrong  teachings  of  the  books  and  "authori- 
ties" on  this  point,  thousands  of  conscientious  but 


222         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

misled  husbands  and  wives  have  suffered  needlessly 
and  severely,  in  body,  mind  and  spirit,  through  their 
efforts  to  suppress  or  annihilate  that  which  was  as 
natural  a  longing  for  expression  as  was  their  de- 
sire for  wholesome  food.  This  is  one  more  place 
where  ignorance  of  the  truth  has  caused  many  of 
the  very  best  of  husbands  and  wives  to  miss  some  of 
the  finest  and  most  wholesome  experiences  of  wedded 
life. 

Of  course,  it  goes  without  saying,  that  such  sex- 
expression  should  be  absolutely  muttialy  under  these 
conditions.  If  otherwise,  it  is  not  only  an  abomina- 
tion, but  an  outrage  that  is  really  a  horrible  crime, 
although  the  statutes  do  not  count  it  as  such,  if 
the  parties  are  legally  married !  This  seems  beyond 
belief,  but  it  is  true.  Not  only  so,  but  the  law  gives 
the  husband  the  right  to  compel  the  wife  to  submit 
to  his  demands,  even  when  she  is  thus  conditioned! 
And  this  in  civilized  nations! 

Perhaps  I  should  add,  for  the  assurance  of  doubt- 
ful readers  of  the  last  few  paragraphs,  that  I  have 
based  the  opinions  I  have  expressed  regarding  af- 
fectional  sex-expression  during  the  gestation  period, 
on  the  testimony  of  a  large  number  of  the  best  of 
husbands  and  wives  who  have  voluntarily  and  hon- 
estly given  me  the  benefit  of  their  own  personal  ex- 
periences in  this  part  of  their  married  lives.  And 
such  demonstrations  I  accept  as  true,  rather  than 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         ^23 

what  the  books  say,  or  alleged  "authorities"  pre- 
scribe. 

Now  all  of  these  facts  to  which  I  have  referred, 
go  to  prove  that  afFectional  sex-expression  is  no  nec- 
essary part  of  reproduction.  They  prove  that  it 
is  an  essentially  human  quality,  a  something  added 
to  the  material,  or  animal,  part  of  man,  a  Plus  of 
Humanity,  whose  purpose  is  something  higher  than 
mere  materiality,  and  which,  rightly  exercised,  tends 
to  build  up,  and  bring  to  its  best  estate  all  the  no- 
blest qualities  in  mankind.  Animals  know  nothing 
of  it ;  it  can  never  be  any  part  of  their  lives,  in  any 
way ;  and  to  treat  it  as  if  it  were  a  mere  animal  be- 
longing, or  to  deny  it  proper  exercise  and  function- 
ing, is  a  sin  of  the  most  flagrant  and  damnable  sort ! 
As  I  have  said  before,  and  more  than  once,  as  well 
declare  cooked  food,  or  books,  or  music  mere  ani- 
mal qualities,  and  treat  these  as  such,  as  to  en- 
deavor to  rule  out  affectional  sex-expression  from 
the  lives  of  husbands  and  wives. 

And  if  this  is  so,  as  so  it  is,  the  right  thing  to  do 
is  to  make  the  best  possible  provision  for  such  ex- 
pression of  the  sex-impulse  of  human  beings;  and 
this  can  only  be  done  by  rendering  its  practice  pos- 
sible without  incurring  the  risk  or  the  chance  of  in- 
volving the  element  of  reproduction!  In  other 
words,  whenever  reproduction  enters  the  realm  of 
sex-expression,   conditions   should   be   such,   knowl- 


224         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

edge  should  be  such,  that  its  demonstration  should 
be  a  matter  of  choice  by  the  parties  thereto,  an  act 
in  which  the  element  of  chance  should  be  in  no  way 
involved. 

Of  course,  in  any  case  where  reproduction  is  the 
deliberate  purpose  of  sex-expression,  the  affectional 
element  not  only  might  be  present,  but  it  should  be 
present,  in  limitless  degree!  Such  mutual  synchro- 
nism of  the  two  forms  of  sex-expression  is  the  very 
acme  of  this  part  of  wedded  life.  The  point  I  yfish 
to  make  is  that  such  experience  should  always  be 
under  the  absolute  control  of  the  will,  and  not  a  mat- 
ter of  chance,  as  it  now  is,  for  the  most  part,  the 
world  over. 

Now,  all  husbands  and  wives  know  that  if  such 
a  condition  of  affairs  as  this  could  be  brought  about, 
it  would  add  many  fold  to  the  happiness,  the  well- 
being  and  the  mutual  satisfaction  of  their  married 
lives.  It  would  not  result  in  gross  debauchery,  much 
less  would  it  bring  about  licentiousness,  or  un- 
healthy, or  unrighteous,  or  unholy  living.  On  the 
contrary,  it  would  settle  nine-tenths  of  all  marital 
troubles  that  are  now  a  disgrace  to  the  estate,  make 
happy  wives  out  of  those  who  are  now  miserable 
beyond  telling,  and  save  thousands  of  husbands  from 
unwholesome  sex-experiences  with  women  other  than 
their  wedded  wives!  And  these  are  all  consumma- 
tions devoutly  to  be  wished. 

As  things  now  are,  with  these  two  forms  of  ex- 


SoTne  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         225 

pression  of  the  sex-impulse  hopelessly  entangled,  so 
that  the  more  subtle  and  mutually  desired  one  can- 
not be  realized  without  the  chance  of  involving  the 
other,  the  constant  tendency  is  to  inhibit  altogether 
the  part  which  belongs  to  the  Plus  of  Humanity,  and 
so  to  rule  out  of  married  life  possibilities  which, 
rightfully  exercised,  would  result  in  the  highest  good 
of  the  husband  and  wife.  For,  the  truth  is,  beyond 
all  question,  not  only  that  a  mutually  desired  ex- 
ercise of  the  sex-organs  of  normal  husbands  and 
wives,  other  than  for  reproduction,  tends  to  promote 
everything  that  is  best  in  their  lives,  but  that  such 
mutual  love-exchanges  are  absolutely  essential  to 
their  health,  happiness  and  wholesome  well-being ! 

But  if,  at  every  sex-meeting,  the  wife  has  to  take 
chances  of  becoming  pregnant,  such  fact  will  always 
tend  to  make  her  reluctant  to  engage  in  such  ex- 
ercise; and  if  she  persists  in  such  denial,  the  possi- 
bilities are  many  to  one  that  she  will  either  alienate 
her  husband's  affections,  or  cause  him  to  lead  a  dis- 
solute life  with  other  women.  It  is  the  universal 
testimony  of  the  keepers  of  brothels  that  a  very 
large  part  of  their  patronage  comes  from  married 
men !  And  could  anything  be  worse  than  that?  And 
the  cause  of  this  is  what  I  have  just  stated. 

Is  it  not  as  clear  as  daylight  that  the  way  to  rem- 
edy such  a  deplorable  condition  of  affairs  would  be 
to  make  the  item  of  reproduction  on  the  part  of 
married  people  a  matter  of  choice  rather  than  one 


226         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  chance,  to  make  affectional  sex-expression  pos- 
sible without  involving  that  of  conception?  The 
reasons  why  this  has  not  been  permitted  are  not  far 
to  seek,  and  I  shall  recount  them  in  due  time. 

Nor  will  it  at  all  serve  to  preach  to  married  peo- 
ple the  doctrine  of  "don't,"  to  insist  that  they  should 
live  strictly  continent  lives,  and  utilize  their  sex  na- 
tures only  for  reproductive  purposes.  This  method 
has  been  advocated  in  certain  quarters,  all  through 
the  ages,  but  it  leads  to  nothing  but  constant  lying 
and  deception  and  fraud.  Normal  men  and  women 
will  never  live  such  lives  as  husbands  and  wives ;  and 
it  was  never  intended  that  they  should  do  so !  The 
added  form  of  sex-expression  which  came  to  man- 
kind as  a  part  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity  was  de- 
signed for  use;  and,  as  such,  it  should  be  provided 
for  and  made  the  most  of.  There  is  one  way  to 
bring  about  such  a  result,  and  that  is  to  make  con- 
ception in  the  human  family  a  matter  of  choice  and 
not  one  of  chance.     Quod  erat  demonstrandum! 

In  the  presence  of  these  indisputable  facts,  two 
things  are  clear:  First,  that  the  item  of  reproduc- 
tion of  the  human  species  should  be  made  a  matter 
of  special,  definite  and  scientific  study,  till  all  the 
facts  pertaining  to  it  are  well  understood,  and  thor- 
oughly mastered;  and  then,  when  such  positive 
knowledge  has  been  obtained,  the  same  should  be 
placed  at  the  service  of  all  people  who  are  legally 
entitled  to  bring  children  into  this  world.     If  you, 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         227 

whoever  you  are,  doubt  that  this  should  be  done,  will 
you  stop  your  reading,  right  here,  and  write  out, 
for  yourself,  at  least,  even  one  good  and  sufficient 
reason  for  your  denial  of  the  proposition.  I  will 
presently  give  some  of  the  sources  from  which  oppo- 
sition to  such  attainment  has  heretofore  come;  but 
that  the  objections  which  these  parties  have  so  long 
put  forward  are  either  groundless  altogether,  or 
that  they  are  now  antiquated  because  of  certain 
changes  which  have  come  into  existence  in  social  life 
in  recent  years,  I  shall  show  to  the  extent  of  a  posi- 
tive demonstration. 

This,  then,  is  the  first  step  to  be  taken,  so  far  as 
genuine  progress  in  this  item  of  human  attainment 
is  concerned.  It  goes  without  saying  that,  before 
the  second  part  of  this  proposition  can  be  realized 
upon,  the  laws  which  now  prevent  the  dissemination 
of  knowledge,  thus  scientificially  obtained,  will  have 
to  be  changed  so  as  to  permit  such  advance;  but 
this  is  also  something  that  can  be  done,  and  that 
will  be  done,  when  the  time  is  fully  ripe  for  its  doing. 
"When  the  materials  are  prepared,  the  architects 
shall  appear !  I  swear  to  you,  they  surely  shall  ap- 
pear!"    Let  us  never  doubt  that  this  will  be  so! 

There  was  once  a  time  in  the  history  of  the 
United  States  when  citizens  were  not  only  prohibited 
by  law  from  assisting  slaves  to  obtain  their  freedom, 
but  they  might  be  legally  compelled  to  help  capture 
such  as  had  escaped,  and  return  them  to  their  mas- 


228  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

ters.  Such  laws  are  no  longer  in  evidence;  and  if 
they  had  their  little  day,  and  then  perished,  how 
much  more  will  it  some  time  be  possible  to  rectify 
the  errors  in  our  present  statutes  which  now  ob- 
struct the  dissemination  of  useful  and  needed  knowl- 
edge among  all  our  people?  The  world  not  only 
does  move,  but  it  must  move;  for  so  it  is  ordained 
in  the  eternal  order  of  tilings ! 

And,  concurrently  with  the  discovery  of  such  ways 
and  means  for  tlie  reproduction  of  the  human  spe- 
cies, and  the  utilization  of  the  knowledge  thus  ob- 
tained, there  must  be  inaugurated  a  study  and  de- 
velopment of  The  Art  of  Love  among  all  those  who 
marry  or  are  given  in  marriage.  The  Art  of  Love 
is  only  another  name  for  the  affectional  expression 
of  the  sex  nature  as  this  exists  in  human  beings; 
and  I  have  more  than  once  shown  that  all  of  this 
belongs  to  the  Plus  of  Humanity.  And  whatever 
belongs  to  the  Plus  of  Humanity  needs  to  be  culti- 
vated and  made  to  grow,  and  brought  to  its  possible 
best  as  such.  It  cannot  be  left  to  the  uninstructed 
guidance  of  instinct,  since  instinct  can  only  deal  suc- 
cessfully with  that  part  of  life  which  is  below  the 
plane  of  humanity,  that  is,  with  mere  animality.  It 
has  been  so  left  to  shift  for  itself  in  the  past,  for 
the  most  part,  and  most  of  the  evils  that  now  ham- 
per and  disgrace  married  life  have  resulted  from  this 
cause.  Newly  married  people  have  been  permitted, 
are  now  permitted,  not  to  say  forced,  to  enter  this 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrationg         229 

most  important  of  all  experiences  of  their  lives,  in 
absolute  ignorance  of  the  essential  facts  which  alone 
can  make  such  relation  a  success!  Both  law  and 
social  conventions  have  virtually  said:  "Let  them 
alone !  They  will  find  the  way !  Nature  and  instinct 
are  sufficient  guides,  and  these  will  stand  them  in 
stead  without  help  or  guidance  from  any  other 
source!  Let  them  alone!"  If  there  was  ever  a  fool- 
ish, wicked  and  utterly  damnable  blasphemy  devised 
or  uttered  by  mankind,  such  is  included,  to  the  limit, 
in  the  above-quoted  words ! 

As  well  say  to  each  new  generation  regarding  the 
cooking  of  food:  "Let  the  young  people  alone! 
They  will  find  the  way!  Nature  and  instinct  will 
teach  them  how,  etc."  All  intelligent  people  have 
gotten  far  enough  along  in  the  experiences  of  life 
not  to  say,  or  even  think,  these  last-quoted  words,  as 
they  might  apply  to  the  cooking  of  food.  But  few 
are  they  who  will  dare  to  do  other  than  to  act  upon 
all  that  is  included  in  the  same  words  as  they  refer 
to  the  married  relations  of  newly-wedded  husbands 
and  wives!  And  yet,  the  ignorantly-done  acts  of 
newly-weds,  as  these  pertain  to  their  most  intimate 
relations,  have  wrecked  more  marital  happiness  than 
could  possibly  have  come  to  the  same  parties  from 
an  utter  lack  of  knowledge  regarding  the  cooking 
of  food,  or  inability  to  avail  themselves  of  the  learn- 
ing from  books  or  the  hearing  of  music ! 

We  teach  our  boys  how  to  build  and  take  care 


230         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  fires  made  out  of  wood  or  coal;  but  not  one 
word  do  we  vouchsafe  to  them  about  the  proper 
and  righteous  management  and  control  of  the  fires 
of  passion  that  often  bum  in  their  veins  with  the 
most  intense  fury!  The  only  comment  we  ever 
make  to  them  upon  such  conditions  is  to  preach  the 
doctrine  of  "don't"  to  them  in  their  youthful  days ; 
and  then,  wlien  they  marry,  we  give  them  the  legal 
right  to  let  these  long-smothered  flames  of  passion, 
whose  suppression  or  abnormal  burnings  may  have 
transformed  them  into  a  volcano  of  ignorant  lust, 
rage  with  limitless  abandon  or  fury,  in  a  realm  where 
only  the  most  wisely  directed,  perfectly  controlled 
and  skillfully  applied  warmth  or  heat  should  be  in 
evidence!  We  teach  our  girls  how  to  come  into  a 
room  properly,  and  how  to  entertain  their  company, 
when  once  they  are  there;  but  not  one  word  do  we 
say  to  them  about  how  to  enter  the  most  sacred 
precincts  of  married  life,  or  how  to  care  for  them- 
selves and  their  companions  in  this  most  complicatedf 
of  all  human  relations !  We  say :  "Let  them  alone ! 
They  will  find  the  way!  Nature  and  instinct  will 
teach  them,  etc."  Does  it  seem  possible  that  such 
idiotic  and  wholly  abominable  conditions  should  con- 
tinue to  exist  among  people  who  claim  to  be  civi- 
lized? 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  have  been,  and  still 
are,  savage  tribes  which  deal  better  with  these  basic 
affairs    of    life    than    many    civilized    peoples    do! 


Some  Reviews  arid  Demonstrations         231 

Among  such,  it  is  often  customary  for  young  mar- 
ried people  to  be  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
new  experiences  of  life  they  have  entered  upon  with 
the  most  sacred  of  ceremonies,  and  for  them  to  be 
instructed  in  marital  ways  by  their  elders,  who  have 
had  experience,  the  results  of  which  they  can  trans- 
mit to  those  who  come  after.  Under  such  condi- 
tions, those  who  start  out  to  travel  a  road  which  is 
new  and  strange  to  them,  have  the  benefit  of  the 
knowledge  of  those  who  have  gone  over  the  way  be- 
fore them,  and  who  know  its  crooks  and  turns,  its 
dangerous  pitfalls  and  its  bottomless  bogs! 

And  is  it  not  strange  beyond  telling,  that,  in  this 
most  difficult  of  all  ways  to  travel  successfully,  the 
knowledge  and  the  experience  of  one  generation  are 
kept  from  those  who  are  to  come  after,  and  who 
must  make  their  way,  unguided,  where  they  so  much 
need  to  know  what  is  before  them?  In  all  other 
lines  of  life,  the  wisdom  which  one  generation  has 
obtained,  indeed,  which  all  previous  generations  have 
acquired,  is  preserved  and  passed  on  to  those  who 
are  to  come  after.  Think  of  all  the  cook  books 
which  tell  how  to  prepare  food  for  the  use  of  man; 
or  of  the  printed  pages  which  embody  the  wisdom  of 
all  past  years ;  or  of  the  pictures  which  artists  long 
dead  have  left  for  the  living  of  today  to  admire  and 
to  learn  from ;  or  of  the  music  which  the  geniuses  of 
former  days  have  recorded  for  the  delight  of  com- 
ing generations — think  on   these  things,   and   then 


232         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

remember  how  not  one  word  has  been  left  regarding 
righteous  sex-life  and  rightful  sex-living,  and  the 
moral  of  the  anomalous  fact! 

And  then  think  of  how  little  progress  could  ever 
have  been  made  in  all  these  lines  of  life  if  each  in- 
dividual in  each  successive  generation  had  been 
obliged  to  find  out  everything  pertaining  to  this  or 
that,  all  on  his  own  initiative,  and  without  a  single 
hint  of  help  from  those  who  had  preceded  him! 
Suppose  that  every  woman  who  had  to  prepare  food 
had  to  find  out  all  about  cooking  from  her  own 
experimentations  with  the  raw  material!  Or  that, 
in  the  realm  of  literature,  and  art,  and  music,  every 
one  had  to  make  all  discoveries  unaided  by  former 
experiences  and  records  of  the  same !  The  very  idea 
of  such  a  condition  is  almost  unthinkable!  Under 
such  conditions,  human  progress  would  have  been 
impossible  through  all  the  years;  and  after  aeons 
had  passed,  man  would  still  be  the  same  groping 
and  groveling  animal  he  was  at  the  beginning  of  his 
entrance  into  time  and  space! 

And  yet!  Such  a  state  of  affairs  would  be  no 
worse  than  we  now  have  in  the  sex-lives  of  millions 
of  people  today !  From  these,  all  knowledge  of  past 
experiences  in  such  life  is  witlilield !  All  in  this  part 
of  man's  being  is  left  to  instinct f!  What  wonder 
that  no  progress  has  been  made  in  this  part  of 
man's  life  under  these  conditions?  Why  not  leave 
cooking  to  instinct,  or  poetry,  or  painting,  or  music 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         S33 

or  clothes-making,  or  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  or 
bridge-building,  or  road-making,  or  a  thousand-and- 
one  of  the  arts  of  living  which  have  done  so  much 
for  the  progress  of  the  human  race — why  not  leave 
all  these  to  instinct?  Why  not  say  of  the  on-comers 
of  each  generation,  regarding  all  these  things :  "Let 
them  alone!  They  will  find  the  way!  Their  in- 
stincts will  be  a  sufficient  guide.     Let  them  alone !" 

Good  people !  Could  there  be  a  worse  blasphemy 
than  that?  Could  there  be  a  greater  sin  against 
everything  that  could  be  sinned  against,  than  that? 
And  yet — brethren  and  sisters,  let  us  think  on  these 
things,  and  then  let  us  try  our  best  to  make  these 
worst  of  all  conditions  better  than  they  now  are. 
For  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

What  all  human  beings  must  come  to  understand 
is  that  the  Art  of  Love  is  one  of  the  most  important 
of  all  the  arts  that  have  ever  been  devised  for  man 
to  acquire;  and  that  the  Science  of  Procreation  is 
one  of  the  most  vital  that  has  ever  been  placed 
within  the  possibility  of  man's  attainment.  Not 
only  are  both  of  these  things  true,  but  it  is  equally 
certain  that  the  first  of  them,  namely.  The  Art  of 
Love,  is  the  most  puzzling  and  subtle  of  all  arts  to 
attain  in  perfection,  and  that  The  Science  of  Pro- 
creation in  the  human  family  is  the  most  difficult 
of  all  scientific  problems  to  solve.  And  yet,  for  the 
most  part,  so  far  in  the  history  of  the  race,  both 
of  these  most  vital  issues  of  human  life  have  been 


234         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

left  to  the  guidance  of  instinct  alone,  a  faculty  which 
belongs  to  lower  forms  of  life,  and  which  serves  their 
purposes  well,  but  which  has  little  or  no  value  what- 
ever in  meeting  and  supplying  the  needs  of  humanity 
in  any  of  the  realms  where  the  Plus  of  Humanity 
is  in  evidence.  The  Art  of  Love,  and  the  Science  of 
Procreation  as  it  applies  to  human  beings,  belong 
entirely  to  that  part  of  man  which  I  have  named 
The  Plus  of  Humanity.  And  everything  that  falls 
within  that  sphere  needs  study  and  cultivation  and 
mastery  and  wise  and'intelligent  application  if  prog- 
ress is  to  be  secured. 

To  this  end,  all  young  people  should  be  carefully 
taught  and  wisely  instructed  in  both  the  Art  of  Love 
and  the  Science  of  Procreation  before  they  ever  be 
permitted  to  enter  the  sacred  realm  of  marriage. 
We  require  the  teacher,  the  doctor,  the  clergyman, 
etc.,  to  present  a  diploma  which  vouches  for  their 
fitness  in  the  callings  they  are  about  to  enter,  be- 
fore we  permit  them  to  take  their  places  in  the  com- 
munities upon  whose  inhabitants  they  would  prac- 
tice! And  yet,  we  legally  prohibit  young  people 
from  acquiring  even  an  elementary  knowledge  of 
themselves  or  of  their  mates,  so  far  as  sex  is  con- 
cerned, before  they^  enter  upon  the  sex-relations 
which  form  the  chief  item  of  difference  between  mar- 
ried life  and  that  of  mere  comradeship !  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  far  less  misery  would  result  to  human- 
ity if  quack  doctors  and  snide  lawyers  and  ignorant 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         235 

preachers  were  turned  loose,  galore,  in  all  our  com- 
munities, everywhere,  than  now  comes  to  society  as 
a  whole,  and  to  individuals  in  particular,  from  per- 
mitting young  people  to  marry  ignorantly,  as  they 
must  do  under  present  conditions !  There  is  not 
a  doubt  in  the  world  about  the  truth  of  this  state- 
ment, and  we  all  know  it.     And  yet 

What  we  must  do  is,  first,  make  a  careful  and  de- 
tailed record  in  books,  of  all  the  sex  knowledge  of 
husbands  and  wives  which  has  so  far  been  attained 
by  their  experiences  and  experimentations,  and  to 
add  to  this  such  new  discoveries  along  sex  lines  as 
may  be  made  by  the  most  careful  study  and  most 
searching  investigations  of  the  wisest  men  and 
women  in  all  the  world  who  will  devote  their  lives  to 
such  work.  That  is  the  first  thing  to  be  done  to  bet- 
ter the  present  situation.  The  second  is,  to  dis- 
seminate the  knowledge  thus  obtained  so  that  it  may 
be  available  to  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men 
who  enter  the  married  state.  To  this  end  both  the 
Art  of  Lojji^e  and  the  Science  of  Procreation  should 
be  taught  by  the  ablest  of  teachers,  wise  and  skillful 
men  and  women,  who  should  thus  transmit  to  those 
who  come  after,  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  those 
who  have  gone  before.  We  do  this  in  all  other  lines 
of  life!  Can  any  sane  person  give  even  one  good 
and  sufficient  reason  why  we  should  not  pursue  the 
same  course  in  the  realm  of  sex  knowledge?  On 
the  contrary,  does  not  every  condition  that  we  are 


236  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

now  surrounded  by,  demand  that  we  should  deal  with 
this  part  of  human  life  as  we  do  with  all  the  others 
that  confront  us?  There  can  be  but  one  sane  an- 
swer to  this  question.  And  it  will  be  answered  as  it 
should  be,  some  day,  some  time  ? 

As  already  said,  before  these  things  can  be  done, 
the  legal  barriers  against  such  doing  must  be  re- 
moved, but  even  this  can  be  done.  Because  it  should 
be  done,  it  can  be  done ;  and  because  it  can  be  done, 
it  will  be  done.  For  such  is  the  eternal  order  of 
things. 

Now,  I  am  well  aware  that  to  some,  perhaps  to 
many,  of  my  readers,  what  I  have  just  outlined  may 
seem  only  an  "irridescent  dream."  They  may  think, 
and  even  say:  "It  can  never  be.  It  is  too  much 
to  even  hope  for.  Human  nature  is  human  nature. 
Man  was  bom  to  demand,  and  woman  was  bom  to 
submit.  It  has  always  been  so,  and  it  will  always 
be  so.  Better  let  well  enough  alone.  If  you  go  to 
^meddling  with  nature's  ways,'  you  are  bound  to 
get  into  trouble.  Of  course  some  husbands  fail  to 
make  their  wives  happy,  and  some  wives  fail  to  make 
their  husbands  happy;  but  that  is  their  personal 
affair.  They  made  their  bed,  let  them  lie  in  it,  as 
the  old  saying  goes.  You  can't  eliminate  misery 
from  this  world,  and  what's  the  use  of  trying  to  do 
the  impossible?  Besides  that,  you  can't  teach  peo- 
ple about  these  things.  They  won't  stand  for  it, 
and  the  law  forbids  it.     Better  leave  things  as  they 


SoTue  Reviews  and  Deinonst rations         237 

are.  Let  nature  work  it  out.  If  it  is  to  be,  it  will 
be,  so  what's  the  use  of  bothering !" 

Well,  I  don't  know  as  it  is  much  use  to  try  to 
convince  those  who  say  these  things.  As  Whitman 
says :  "Logic  and  argument  never  convince."  Still, 
it  is  certain  that  the  world  has  progressed  much 
along  lines  of  life  where  advance  at  times  seemed 
impossible;  and  from  such  facts  I  gaih  courage  to 
hope  that  better  things  may  be  in  store  for  human- 
ity, in  days  to  come,  along  the  lines  on  which  I  am 
writing.  I  remember  that  it  was  nearly  two  cen- 
turies after  the  discovery  was  made  that  the  earth 
is  round  before  the  fact  was  accepted  by  the  "high- 
est authorities" ;  and  that,  though  nineteen  hundred 
years  have  passed  since  the  Founder  of  Christianity 
lived,  the  eternal  principles  of  righteousness  which 
He  taught  are  still  but  partly  understood  and  ac- 
cepted. Truly,  we  have  to  learn  to  "patiently  wait 
for  outcomes,"  but  meantime,  we  will  do  what  we 
can  to  make  good  better,  and  to  help  the  better  al- 
ways to  move  toward  the  best. 

And  even  as  I  write,  there  comes  to  me  a  sign  of 
the  times  that  makes  for  what  I  have  a  long  while 
been  looking  for.  This  is  a  book  by  Dr.  H.  W. 
Long,  entitled  "Sane  Sex  Life  and  Sane  Sex  Liv- 
ing," *  and  the  careful  reading  I  have  given  it  proves 
that  it  is  just  what  its  title  declares  it  to  be.  The 
author  of  the  book  is  a  physician  who  has  evidently 
*  Richard  G.  Badger,  The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  Mass. 


^ 


238         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

studied  long,  Intelligently  and  well  the  sex-problems 
that  his  married  patients  have  encountered,  and  con- 
cerning which  they  have  sought  his  counsel  and 
advice;  and  the  book  he  has  written  is  a  compen- 
dium of  what  he  has  said  to  them,  all  and  several, 
as  the  years  have  gone  by.  What  he  has  said  in 
this  book  is  only  putting  into  written  words  the 
wholesome  information  and  thoroughly  scientific 
knowledge  which  his  patrons  did  not  possess,  and 
for  lack  of  which  they  suffered  all  sorts  of  marital 
woes  and  distresses.  In  a  sort  of  fatherly  way,  and 
speaking  rather  as  a  loving  and  sympathetic  coun- 
selor than  as  a  coldly-scientific  practitioner,  he  has 
told  just  what  his  people  wanted  to  know,  and  just 
what  they  needed  to  know  in  order  to  make  married 
life  a  success.  To  the  newly  wedded  his  teachings 
were  a  revelation,  a  clear  light  to  guide  untutored 
feet  over  what  was  to  them  an  unknown  way.  And 
to  the  married  people  who  had  been  made  unhappy 
through  ignorance  of  their  sex-natures,  his  words 
imparted  such  knowledge  as  they  needed  to  enable 
them  to  succeed  where  they  had  so  far  failed.  And, 
after  some  years  of  most  successful  work  in  the  nat- 
urally limited  field  of  his  personal  practice,  he  was 
induced,  by  some  who  knew  of  what  he  had  done,  to 
print  what  he  began  by  giving  only  vocal  utterance 
to,  and  in  this  way  to  widely  extend  his  teachings 
which  had  heretofore  been  quite  circumscribed.    But 


Soine  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         239 

— and  here  comes  in  the  same  old  legal  hindrance 
which  I  have  before  referred  to — under  present 
United  States'  laws,  the  book  can  be  "sold  only  to 
members  of  recognized  professions,"  and  so  it  can- 
not, as  yet,  reach  the  multitudes  of  married  people 
who  would  be  immeasurably  benefited  by  the  in- 
formation it  contains.  The  pity  of  it!  The  book 
is  wholly  unlike  any  other  of  a  similar  sort  that  I 
have  ever  read,  or  that  I  know  anything  about; 
and,  though  necessarily  hampered  by  the  present 
restrictions  upon  its  general  circulation,  I  am  sure 
the  professional  men  and  women  who  are  legally 
permitted  to  own  it,  will  pass  on  to  their  constitu- 
ents the  valuable  knowledge  it  contains. 

Need  I  say  that  my  reason  for  mentioning  this 
book  as  I  have  is,  not  for  "advertising  purposes," 
but  only  to  give  proof  of  the  statement  I  have  made 
that  it  is  possible  to  teach  these  delicate  matters  in 
a  way  that  is  at  once  wholesome  and  easily  under- 
stood, and  which  results  in  untold  benefit  to  the 
husbands  and  wives  who  can  avail  themselves  of  such 
teaching.  Dr.  Long's  experiences,  which  he  out- 
lines in  the  preface  to  his  book,  demonstrate  to  a 
finish  the  realization  of  such  a  possibility,  and  that 
is  the  "sign  of  the  times"  which  caused  me  to  say  what 
I  have  about  it.  The  time  will  come  when  not  only 
this  book,  but  many  others  like  it,  will  be  within 
the  reach  of  even  the  rank  and  file,  and  with  this 


240         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

coming  there  will  also  come  wise  and  sympathetic 
teachers  who  will  expound  to  eager  learners,  the 
truths  which  such  books  contain. 

May  I  add,  that  Dr.  Long's  book  is  utterly  unlike 
any  book  on  the  subject  of  sex  that  I  know  about, 
in  that  it  has  not  a  single  word  to  say  about  "vene- 
real diseases,"  a  subject  which  usually  occupies  a 
large  portion  of  the  pages  of  such  books,  sometimes 
quite  to  the  limits  of  boredom,  not  to  say  disgust. 
And  this  also  is  a  noteworthy  step  forward  in  the 
line  of  this  sort  of  literature.  Speed  the  day,  not 
only  when  this  book  can  go  to  the  people,  but  others, 
such  as  I  have  suggested,  along  with  it.  Under  the 
guidance  of  such  instruction  as  such  books  and 
teacliers  can  give,  at  least  something  of  what  we 
all  hope  for  may  become  possible  to  a  degree  at 
least;  and  such  progress  being  made,  more  is  sure 
to  follow,  until,  in  due  time,  the  reproduction  of 
the  human  species  shall  come  wholly  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  human  will,  and  all  children  which  are 
then  bom  into  this  world  shall  come  into  being  by 
choice  and  not  by  chance. 

Concurrent  with  this  new  order  of  things,  will 
be  the  ability  of  husbands  and  wives  to  respond  to 
their  affectional  sex-impulses,  throughout  all  the 
lines  of  their  varied  modes  of  expression ;  to  culti- 
vate and  bring  to  full  realization  the  part  of  their 
sex-nature  which  lies  wholly  witliin  the  realm  of 
the  Plus  of  Humanity.     Such  results  may  be  slow 


Some  Reviews  and  Demonstrations         241 

in  coming,  and  long  in  arriving,  but  the  desire  of  all 
husbands  and  wives  goes  out  toward  such  conditions 
in  married  life ;  their  imaginations  picture  such  new 
order  of  things,  and,  some  day,  the  ingenuity  of  some 
divinely  inspired  genius,  or  geniuses,  will  find  the 
way  to  realize  the  hope  of  these  noblest  of  all  the 
men  and  women  in  all  the  world,  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  generations  yet  to  be!     So  may  it  be! 


CHAPTER  XII 

SOME   RESULTS  THAT  WOULD   PROBABLY    FOLLOW   SUCH 
A  NEW  ORDER  OF  THINGS  IN  MARRIED  LIFE 

Beyond  question,  the  first,  and  perhaps  the  most 
welcome,  and  in  some  respects  the  most  important 
of  all  the  results  that  would  follow  from  such  new 
order  of  things  in  married  life  as  I  have  just  de- 
picted, would  be  the  immeasurable  relief  that  would 
come  to  husbands  and  wives  (especially  wives)  as 
they  felt  themselves  freed  from  the  caprices  of  chance 
which  are  now  so  largely  in  evidence  in  marital  rela- 
tions, and  within  the  sure  realm  of  certainty  as  to 
results  that  would  come  only  from  their  own  delib- 
erate choosing!  The  burden  of  care  and  anxiety 
which  would  thus  be  lifted  from  the  shoulders  of  the 
married  portion  of  mankind  is  beyond  the  possibility 
of  estimation. 

And  here  is  another  place  where  statistics  need 
not  be  called  upon  to  verify  the  truth  of  a  statement 
made.  "Only  what  everybody  knows  is  so,  is  so," 
says  the  Good  Gray  Poet ;  and  his  words  were  never 
so  applicable  as  they  are  in  this  item  of  the  doubt, 
uncertainty  and  dread  which  continually  obtain  in 

242 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     243 

the  lives  of  all  intelligent  husbands  and  wives  who 
honestly  wish  to  wisely  order  all  the  affairs  of  their 
lives  so  that  they  may  be  sure  of  the  results  which 
are  to  follow  their  acts. 

And  this  does  not  at  all  mean  that  husbands  and 
wives  would  give  themselves  up  to  all  sorts  of  ex- 
travagant sexual  indulgences  if  once  they  were  made 
masters  of  the  principles  and  practice  of  birth  con- 
trol which,  under  the  present  order  of  things,  they 
are  practically  unable  to  attain  to.  On  the  con- 
trary, all  my  investigations  have  tended  to  establish 
the  fact  that  where  both  forms  of  sex-expression  are 
fully  within  the  intelligent  control  of  the  husband 
and  wife,  a  temperate  exercise  of  these  qualities  in- 
variably results. 

And  it  is  most  natural  that  this  should  be  so,  ac- 
cording to  the  principle  that  perfect  satisfaction  in 
any  of  the  experiences  of  life  leads  directly  to  the 
most  wholesome  ways  of  living.  It  is  the  unsatisfied, 
and  so  the  restless,  who  indulge  in  excesses  or  de- 
bauchery! It  is  very  seldom  that  one  who  happily 
sits  at  a  well-spread  table  and  there  regularly  eats 
his  meals  of  well-cooked  food,  which  fully  meets  the 
needs  of  his  physical  appetite,  both  as  to  his  ma- 
terial make-up  and  the  Plus  of  his  humanity — it  is 
very  seldom  that  such  a  man  becomes  a  drunkard 
or  a  glutton,  or  the  victim  of  a  disordered  diges- 
tion which  may  come  from  either  too  little  or  too 
much   eating!      And   when   the    absolute   mutuality 


244         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  two  parties  is  necessary  for  perfect  satisfaction, 
and  this  is  constantly  unrealized,  then  is  the  liabil- 
ity to  excess,  or  unnaturalness,  or  unwholesomeness 
greatly  increased. 

And  the  well-known  fact  is,  that  where  the  wife, 
from  fear  of  possible  chance  results,  always  hesitates 
and  often  refuses  to  meet  the  advances  of  her  hus- 
band, both  the  parties,  and  especially  the  husband, 
are  constantly  left  unsatisfied ;  and  it  is  such  unsat- 
isfaction  which  leads  to  all  sorts  of  the  most  unwhole- 
some, and  not  infrequently  shameful  practices  on  the 
part  of  those  who  are  thus  circumstanced. 

Under  these  conditions,  this  part  of  married  life 
is  a  source  of  constant  disagreement  between  multi- 
tudes of  husbands  and  wives,  a  state  of  affairs  which 
leads  to  habitual  unrest,  and  not  infrequently  to  con- 
tinuous quarrels,  than  which  nothing  could  be  worse. 
Where  married  people  live  in  this  way  (and  multi- 
tudes do,  as  we  all  know)  love  soon  departs  never 
to  return,  and  a  hollow  mockery  is  all  that  remains 
of  what  might  have  been,  under  other  and  rightful 
conditions,  a  union  of  "two  souls  with  but  a  single 
thought,  two  hearts  that  beat  as  one"!  But  such 
a  happy  attainment  as  this  can  never  be  reached 
when  there  is  a  constant  difference  between  the  par- 
ties concerned,  where  one  is  continually  proposing 
and  the  other  perpetually  opposing  an  expression 
of  life  which,  in  its  rightful  exercise,  is  as  natural,  as 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     245 

wnolesome  and  as  upbuilding  to  all  that  is  best  in 
mankind  as  is  breathing. 

Another  result  that  would  probably  follow  from 
putting  into  the  hands  of  husband  and  wives  the 
definite  possibility  of  determining  by  choice  the  num- 
ber of  children  they  would  have,  would  be  a  lessen- 
ing of  the  number  of  children  bom  into  this  world. 
On  this  point  I  shall  have  more  to  say  in  a  later 
chapter;  but  a  few  words  about  it,  just  here. 

It  is  held  by  those  who  oppose  "birth  control"  in 
any  form,  that  such  a  condition  of  affairs  would  re- 
sult in  "race  suicide" ;  but  those  who  thus  assert,  or 
who  profess  to  believe  such  doctrine,  fail  to  take  into 
account  certain  basic  facts  which  are  inherent  in 
human  nature,  while  at  the  same  time  they  neglect, 
or  refuse  to  state,  their  real  reasons  for  this  oppo- 
sition to  what  they  inveigh  against. 

The  item  in  the  count  which  they  overlook  is  the 
natural  desire  for  children  which  is  deeply  implanted 
in  the  innermost  make-up  of  all  normal  human  be- 
ings! Doubtless  it  is  true  that,  in  some  highly 
sophisticated  or  abnormal  specimens  of  mankind, 
both  male  and  female,  the  desire  for  progeny  has 
atrophied  or  in  some  unfortunate  way  been  lost. 
But,  take  human  beings,  as  a  whole,  the  one  chief, 
desire  of  life  is  to  perpetuate  their  kind,  to  have 
children  of  their  own,  and  not  physical  hunger  for 
food  itself  has  a  firmer  grip  on  their  actions  or  their 


246         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

hopes!  We  see  this  clearly  in  the  case  of  all  nor- 
mal women,  but  among  men  the  fact  is  not  so  openly 
in  evidence.  But  in  a  final  analysis,  in  a  crucial 
test,  the  fact  appears  that  normal  men  are  as  de- 
sirous of  parenthood  as  are  their  natural  counter- 
parts !  Mr.  Bernard  Shaw  has  made  this  the  motive 
of  his  immortal  play,  "Man  and  Superman,"  and  he 
brings  the  real  situation  to  a  powerful  climax  when 
his  hero.  Jack  Tanner,  throws  all  the  ambitions  of 
his  life  to  the  winds,  if  needs  be,  in  order  that  he 
may  obtain  parenthood;  and  he  makes  him  say,  as 
he  takes  Ann  in  his  arms :  "Is  there  a  father's  heart 
as  well  as  a  mother's?"  There  is  but  one  truthful 
answer  to  his  question,  and  that  is  a  universal  one! 
Mr.  Shaw's  chief  character  responds  to  it  in  the 
affirmative,  as  the  body,  mind  and  soul  of  every  nor- 
mal man  in  all  the  world  inspire  him  to  do!  So 
much  for  normal  men;  and  as  for  normal  women, 
their  natural  desire  for  motherhood  is  the  chief  ele- 
ment of  their  lives.  We  all  know  that  this  is  so, 
and  "what  everybody  knows  is  so,  is  so" ! 

I  have  a  friend  who  is  a  more-than-once  million- 
aire. I  have  known  him  from  boyhood,  and  have 
seen  him  grow  from  comparative  poverty  to  the 
possession  of  great  wealth.  As  his  fortune  was 
a-making,  he  married  a  beautiful  woman,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  he  and  his  wife  have  been  very 
prominent  in  the  social  life  of  the  city  in  which  they 
live.    But  they  have  never  had  any  children !    I  was 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     247 

talking  with  him,  not  long  ago,  and  congratulating 
him  on  his  remarkable  success  in  the  business  world ; 
but  I  added  that  I  had  only  one  thing  against  him, 
and  that  was,  that  he  had  no  children.  I  had  no 
idea  that  I  so  seriously  wounded  him  by  my  re- 
mark ;  but  he  turned  from  me  for  a  moment  and  was 
silent.  And  when  he  faced  me  again  there  were  tears 
in  his  eyes,  "strong  business  man"  as  everybody 
counted  him  to  be,  and  he  said:  "Don't  blame  me! 
Somehow  that  was  not  to  be  for  wife  and  me !  But 
we  would  be  willing  to  give,  right  now,  the  half  of 
all  the  fortune  we  possess,  and  then  some,  for  just 
one  baby  that  was  really  truly  all  our  own !"  Yea, 
verily !  There  is  a  father's  heart  in  man  as  well  as 
a  mother's  heart  in  woman,  and  this  great  passion 
of  humanity  will  be  realized  upon  by  both,  in  the 
long  run,  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases,  come  what 
may!  The  only  point  I  urge  is,  that  it  will  be  far 
the  better  for  all  parties  concerned,  that  such  su- 
preme consummation  of  all  human  realizations  should 
be  a  matter  of  deliberate  choice  rather  than  a  freak 
of  chance.  And  can  any  sane  soul  say  nay  to  that  ? 
Of  course,  there  will  be  those  who,  under  these 
conditions,  will  deliberately  remain  childless;  but  is 
it  not  best  that  these  should  be  that  way?  As  a 
rule  people  who  do  not  want  children  are  not  fit  to 
bring  them  up ;  and  people  who  are  not  fit  to  bring 
children  up,  ought  not  to  have  them!  The  crying 
evil  in  this  whole  affair,  as  it  now  exists,  is  that 


248         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

many  people  who  do  not  want  children  chance  to 
have  them,  and  that  the  children  that  they  bring 
into  the  world  are  obliged  to  grow  up  under  con- 
ditions that  are  as  unpropitious  for  their  successful 
rearing  as  could  possibly  be.  My  belief  is  that  these 
things  would  be  much  less  frequent  than  they  now 
are  if  all  children  who  are  bom  could  come  into  be- 
ing by  choice  rather  than  by  chance!  Do  you 
doubt  it? 

But,  beyond  all  this,  it  is  quite  certain  that  many 
people  who  desire  to  have  children,  would,  under  the 
order  of  things  I  have  proposed,  have  fewer  than 
they  do  now.  The  reasons  for  this  are  many,  and 
not  far  to  seek.  First,  under  our  present  economic 
conditions,  people  who  are  too  poor  to  properly  sup- 
port a  large  family  would  not  be  obliged  to  have  a 
large  family  to  support.  This,  and  still  they  would 
not  be  deprived  of  affectional  sex-expression  which, 
wholesomely  exercised,  so  much  inures  to  their  well- 
being,  and  which,  with  chance  as  one  of  its  factors, 
they  would  have  to  inhibit  if  they  kept  the  number 
of  their  offspring  within  reasonable  limits. 

Again,  with  only  as  many  children  in  the  family 
as  they  could  fairly  well  provide  for,  parents  could 
take  such  care  of  these  as  their  well-being  required, 
and  in  this  way  give  them  a  start  in  life  which  would 
lead  them  to  be  better  citizens  when  they  were  grown 
than  they  would  have  been  if  reared  in  poverty. 
This,  as  regards  both  the  bodies  and  the  minds  of 


New  Order  of  Things  m  Married  Life     249 

what  children  they  had.  They  could  feed  and  clothe 
their  progeny  in  at  least  wholesome  comfort,  and 
they  could  give  them  such  an  education  as  it  befits 
an  intelligent  human  being  to  have.  They  would 
not  be  obliged  to  put  their  children  to  work  till  they 
were  able  to  do  the  tasks  assigned  them  without  det- 
riment to  their  health  or  their  morals,  and  in  this 
way  their  offspring  would  have  far  better  opportu- 
nity to  grow  into  normal  men  and  women  than  they 
would  have  under  less  propitious  conditions. 

Besides  this,  what  children  were  bom  would  un- 
doubtedly be  stronger  and  healthier  when  they  came 
into  being  than  they  would  be  if  they  were,  each 
of  them,  one  of  too  many  for  a  mother  to  bear. 
For,  while  it  is  certainly  true  that  there  are  now 
and  then  women  who  can  bear  a  large  number  of 
children  successfully,  yet  such  are  exceptions,  and 
over  and  against  them  are  crowds  of  mothers  who 
are  practically  forced  to  give  birth  to  more  babies 
than  they  can  give  good  bodies  to,  and  many  of 
whose  poorly  pre-natally  nourished  children  perish 
in  infancy,  or,  if  they  live  to  grow  up,  suffer  all 
through  what  lives  they  do  live  because  of  the  poor 
start  in  life  they  received  from  their  mother. 

And  this  means  that,  with  fewer  children  born, 
and  with  what  are  born  well  cared  for,  the  death- 
rate  of  infants  would  be  far  lower  than  it  has  ever 
been ;  and  because  of  this  fact,  the  danger  of  "race 
suicide"  would  be  far  from  as  threatening  as  some 


250         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

who  now  raise  this  note  of  alarm  declare  it  would 
be.  Not  the  quantity  of  children  bom,  but  the 
quality  of  those  who  come  into  this  world  would 
then  be  a  realizable  mode  of  human  reproduction 
and  rearing. 

Again,  if  the  sure  control  of  the  begetting  of  chil- 
dren were  placed  in  the  hands  of  married  people, 
it  would,  at  one  blow,  wipe  out  the  crime  of  abor- 
tion which  is  now  so  rampant  in  modem  civilized 
life.  I  need  not  enlarge  on  this  point,  for  all  well- 
posted  people  know  what  the  situation  in  this  regard 
at  present  really  is.  Of  course,  here  is  another 
place  where  statistics  not  only  need  not,  but  cannot 
be  brought  into  evidence.  In  the  very  nature  of 
things,  statistics  are  not  procurable  in  this  life  and 
death  affair.  But,  especially  if  you  live  in  a  city, 
and  the  larger  the  city,  the  more  frequent  the  crime, 
you,  of  your  own  knowledge,  know  cases  and  cases 
where  married  women  who  have  started  on  the  road 
to  motherhood  are  relieved  from  the  necessity  of 
traveling  the  full  length  of  that  way  by  a  means 
which  is  practically  murder. 

Mind,  what  I  am  now  talking  about  is  really  the 
taking  of  a  life  which  has  actually  been  entered  upon, 
and  this  is  a  condition  of  affairs  which  is  wholly 
different  from  rendering  inefficient  the  elements 
which  might  cause  such  life  to  be  begun !  I  have  re- 
ferred to  this  before,  but  I  mention  it  again  to  em- 
phasize the  real  difference  between  the  two  acts,  and 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     251 

to  show  how  much  more  righteous  and  wholesome 
the  one  way  is  than  the  other.  As  a  rule  abortion, 
especially  if  frequently  indulged  in,  results  in  the 
ruin  of  the  physical  health  of  the  woman  upon  whom 
it  is  practiced,  and  it  is  as  harmful  to  her  mental 
and  spiritual  being  as  it  is  to  her  more  material 
constitution,  and  besides  this,  the  life  of  a  human 
being  has  been  taken  whenever  abortion  is  prac- 
ticed. But  with  the  chief  cause  of  this  practice 
eliminated,  the  abomination  itself  would  perish  from 
off  the  face  of  the  earth.  And  to  have  this  unspeak- 
able evil  thus  removed  would  be  an  attainment  in 
the  line  of  practical  virtue  which  is  beyond  the 
power  of  words  to  describe. 

But,  some  one  may  say,  if  a,  sure  means  of  birth 
control  were  actually  discovered,  and  such  knowl- 
edge were  generally  disseminated  would  not  the  un- 
married secure  such  information  and  practice  upon 
it;  and,  in  this  way,  might  not  all  sorts  of  licen- 
tiousness outside  of  wedlock  become  current?  In 
reply  to  this  I  can  only  say,  that  what  I  am  writing, 
so  far  in  this  treatis^e,  deals  only  with  married  peo- 
ple; and  what  might  happen  outside  that  relation 
is  not  within  the  compass  of  the  present  discussion, 
surely  not  at  this  point  of  the  argument.  All  the 
good  things  in  this  world  are  liable  to  abuse;  but 
we  cannot  act  on  the  principle  that,  because  a  good 
thing  may  possibly  be  abused,  therefore  it  must  never 
have  a  being,  or  must  be  abolished  if  it  come  into 


252         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

existence!  The  current  of  electricity  which  lights 
the  lamp  by  wliich  I  can  see  to  write  these  words 
would  kill  me  if  it  passed  through  my  body;  but 
means  are  provided  by  which  it  can  pass  through 
the  incandescent  bulb  and  give  me  needed  light,  while 
I  sit  by,  not  only  unharmed,  but  benefited  by  its 
beneficent  rays.  The  comparison  between  this  il- 
lustration and  the  supposition  just  suggested  is  too 
obvious  to  need  further  consideration,  though  I  may 
refer  to  it  again,  later  on. 

Another  result  that  would  come  from  the  estab- 
lislmient  of  the  possibility  of  certain  birth  control 
on  the  part  of  husbands  and  wives,  would  be  the 
marriage  of  multitudes  of  people  who  now  remain 
single  because  they  are  unwilling  to  enter  upon  a 
condition  of  living  where  there  is  a  constant  possi- 
bility of  parenthood.  Under  present  economic  con- 
ditions, there  are  millions  of  j^oung  people  who  are 
so  conditioned  financially,  that  they  dare  not  assume 
the  responsibilities  and  burdens  which  necessarily 
come  to  fathers  and  mothers.  These  bear  no  chil- 
dren now,  and  even  if  they  married  and  were  child- 
less, conditions  would  be  no  worse  than  they  now 
are,  so  far  as  the  danger  of  race  suicide  is  con- 
cerned, or  as  the  lack  of  increase  in  population  is 
involved!  The  only  difference  between  the  two  sit- 
uations would  be  that,  if  these  people  could  marry, 
and  so  have  the  legal  right  to  give  mutual  expres- 
sion to  the  affectional  side  of  their  sex-natures,  to 


New  Order  of  Things  m  Married  Life     253 

that  part  of  their  being  which  is  sa  great  an  element 
in  the  plus  of  humanity,  they  would  be  far  better 
conditioned  than  they  now  are,  when  they  are  com- 
pelled to  attempt  to  wholly  inhibit  this  part  of  their 
God-bestowed  faculties;  or  else,  if  they  give  the 
same  expression  at  all,  they  are  forced  to  do  so  clan- 
destinely or  under  the  most  unwholesome  of  circum- 
stances! And  can  there  be  any  doubt  as  to  which 
of  these  two  ways  is  the  better? 

I  wish  I  had  space,  just  here,  to  make  an  exhaus- 
tive statement  of  how  it  has  come  about  that  it  is 
currently  taught  that  it  is  wrong  to  give  expression 
to  the  afFectional  element  in  human  sex-nature  un- 
less the  same  ultimates  in  reproduction.  It  is  a 
long  story,  far  too  long  to  be  told  in  its  entirety 
in  a  book  of  the  size  of  the  one  I  am  now  writing. 
But  the  chief  reasons  why  these  things  are  as  they 
now  are  may  be  briefly  stated,  as  follows:  The 
first  of  these  is  summed  up  in  the  word  asceticism, 
a  theory  of  life  which  makes  wrong  anything  and 
everything  which  human  beings  really  enjoy  or  de- 
light in.  And  the  second  is,  the  analogy  that  is 
drawn  between  mankind  and  the  animals  below  this 
highest  form  of  life  expression.  The  ascetics,  both 
men  and  women,  for  some  reason,  came  to  be  ac- 
counted as  "holy"  human  beings,  far  better  than  the 
rest  of  mankind;  and,  as  such,  they  were  held  up 
as  examples  to  be  imitated  and  emulated.  And  be- 
cause the  chief  article  in  their  creed  has  always  been 


254         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

to  "mortify  the  flesh,"  and  the  sex  part  of  man's 
being  was  counted  by  them  as  the  most  fleshly  of  all 
their  make-up,  for  this  reason  they  claimed  to 
totally  inhibit  this  part  of  their  being  and  live  ab- 
solutely continent  lives.  However,  as  it  was  neces- 
sary to  have  somebody  to  provide  food  and  drink 
for  these  sanctified  ones,  they  consented  to  the  ex- 
ercise of  the  sex  faculty,  on  the  part  of  others ^  for 
reproductive  purposes,  but  for  that  alone,  and  all 
else  was  sin !  So  much  for  that  phase  of  the  situa- 
tion. And  as  for  the  animal  analogy,  it  was  claimed 
that  the  animals  never  indulged  in  aff*ectional  sex- 
expression;  and,  man  being  an  animal,  he  should 
abide  by  the  same  law,  and  live  life  through  in  like 
manner  as  did  these  lower  forms  of  vital  existence. 
And  that  is  the  next  chapter  in  the  long  story  of 
how  a  natural  and  wholesome  part  of  the  Plus  of 
Humanity  was  inhibited,  became  anathema  \  I  have 
said  all  this  before,  but  it  needs  saying  more  than 
once,  hence  this  repeat. 

Added  to  all  this  was  a  rank  form  of  jealousy 
which  had  its  roots  in  supreme  selfishness,  the  de- 
tails of  which  are  too  subtle  to  be  considered  here. 
But  the  greatest  error  of  all  came  from  failing  to 
recognize  the  existence  of  the  Plus  of  Humanity  as 
the  chief  factor  in  the  make-up  of  mankind  as  such, 
and  of  not  realizing  that  aff^ectional  sex-expression 
is  as  rightful  a  part  of  such  quality  as  is  cooked 
food  for  the  palate  and  stomach,  or  reading  for  the 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     255 

eyes,  or  music  for  the  ears  of  man!  For  all  these 
reasons,  sex-functioning,  for  other  than  reproduc- 
tive purposes,  came  to  be  considered  as  wrong;  and 
by  the  same  token,  it  is  still  thought  of  as  wrong 
by  vast  numbers  of  people  who,  while  holding  to 
this  theory,  practice  the  very  reverse  of  what  they 
claim  to  believe !     The  pity  of  it ! 

But  I  hope  I  have  shown  in  the  earlier  chapters 
of  this  book,  that  afFectional  sex-expression  is  not 
only  a  rightful  form  of  marital  experience,  but  that 
it  is  a  manner  of  living  which  is  productive  of  the 
highest  and  best,  physically,  mentally  and  spirit- 
ually, that  husbands  and  wives  can  possibly  at- 
tain to. 

Under  these  circumstances,  what  could  be  better 
than  to  give  to  all  people  who  are  eligible  to  married 
life  such  knowledge  as  would  enable  them  to  live 
wholesome  and  healthful  lives  in  this  part  of  their 
being,  even  if  their  circumstances  were  such  that, 
for  good  and  sufficient  reasons,  it  was  not  best  that 
they  should  bring  children  into  the  world?  Surely, 
it  is  something  greatly  to  be  desired  that  all  married 
people  who  are  properly  circumstanced  to  rear  a 
family  should  do  so;  but  to  totally  deprive  such  as 
are  not  so  conditioned  of  all  the  other  joys  of  mar- 
ried life  is  to  do  a  wicked  thing,  and  to  set  up  an 
abnormal  condition  of  affairs  which  results  in  a  host 
of  the  most  pronounced  evils. 

And  this  leads  to  the  remark  that  such  enabling 


256         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

people  to  marry  even  if  they  did  not  have  children 
would  practically  destroy  prostitution  as  it  now 
exists!  This  vice  of  vices,  which  has  existed 
throughout  all  the  ages,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  ex- 
terminate it,  and  which  has  been  the  cause  of  unut- 
terable woe  and  misery,  and  disease  and  death,  to 
millions  of  human  beings  of  both  sexes,  exists,  al- 
most entirely,  because  of  the  abnormal  marital  con- 
ditions which  are  forced  upon  the  human  race  which 
practically  keep  great  multitudes  of  people  from 
living  normal  sex  lives.  If  the  item  of  certain  birth 
control  were  within  the  possession  of  all  husbands 
and  wives,  not  only  would  there  be  millions  more 
of  husbands  and  wives  than  there  now  are,  but  the 
great  majority  of  these  would  live  lives  of  such 
mutual  agreement  that  commercial  sex  exploitation 
would  be  largely,  if  not  wholly,  extirpated  from 
civilized  life ! 

And  with  the  passing  of  this  abomination  of  com- 
mercial sex-indulgence,  there  would  also  go  a  horde 
of  sex-abnormalities  which  now  exist  among  human 
beings  of  both  sexes,  and  which  come,  chiefly,  from 
the  fact  that  those  who  practice  these  forms  of  sex- 
expression  are  deprived  of  a  wholesome  exercise  of 
what  is  really  a  basic  element  of  normal  human  na- 
ture. For  the  most  part,  in  days  gone  by  and  up 
to  the  present  time,  the  treatment  of  all  these  erran- 
cies from  the  ways  of  right  sex-living,  has  been 
chiefly  in  the  line  of  attempted  suppression  of  the 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     S57 

sex-impulse  altogether,  or  of  such  negative  dealing 
with  them  as  tended  rather  to  the  intensifying  than 
the  remedying  of  the  evils  they  were  set  to  elimi- 
nate. But  gradually  wise  and  well-posted  men  and 
women  are  coming  to  see  that  an  undue  suppression 
of  a  natural  impulse  tends  fully  as  much,  and  some- 
times more,  toward  producing  unwholesome  results 
than  does  even  excess  of  functioning  on  the  part  of 
the  organs  whose  action  it  is  attempted  to  inhibit! 
What  needs  to  be  done,  in  all  these  cases,  is  to  find 
out  what  is  really  a  righteous  manner  of  expression 
for  all  the  organs  of  the  human  body,  with  the  fac- 
tors of  the  Plus  of  Humanity  constantly  in  evi- 
dence, and  then  to  establish  such  conditions  that 
all  men  and  women  can  live  in  harmony  with  the 
same.  And  the  doctrine  of  "don't,"  and  a  nega- 
tive policy  in  these  premises,  will  never  produce 
these  greatly-to-be-desired  results.  Such  will  only 
arrive  as  the  outcome  of  the  most  intense  scientific 
investigation,  long  pursued  and  most  eagerly  and 
intelligently  sought  for,  and  which  knowledge,  once 
attained,  shall  be  universally  disseminated  among 
all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men,  and  righteously 
utilized  by  them!  Such  attainment  cannot  be  eas- 
ily reached,  nor  will  it  be  speedy  in  its  coming;  but 
that  it  will  some  day  be  a  reality  is  as  certain  as 
the  progress  of  the  race  is  sure. 

Another,  and  a  similar,  gain  in  this  direction  will 
be  that  this  new  order  of  marital  living  will  make  it 


^58         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

possible  for  persons  who  never  ought  to  bring  chil- 
dren into  the  world,  to  marry,  and  to  live  normal 
sex-lives  on  the  affectional  side  of  their  being.  This 
would  include  all  those  who  are  the  victims  of 
hereditary  taints  which  ought  not  to  be  transmitted 
to  future  generations.  There  are  m^iny  such  men 
and  women,  and  it  is  not  now  infrequent  that  these 
marry  and,  by  chance,  have  children  who  ought  never 
to  have  been  bom,  who  suffer  all  their  lives  because 
of  the  sins  of  their  ancestors  and  who  eventually 
fill  untimely  graves.  None  of  these  happenings  need 
be,  under  the  order  of  things  I  have  outlined,  and 
with  the  item  of  birth  control  fully  mastered  by 
these  married,  but  never-ought-to-be  parents.  And 
that  would  be  a  great  step  forward,  for  the  well- 
being  of  the  oncoming  generations. 

In  all  that  I  have  said  on  this  point,  I  have  made 
no  mention  of  the  pronounced  abnormally-sexed  hu- 
man beings  who  sometimes  appear  in  this  world ;  nor 
is  there  need  that  I  do  so.  The  normal  life  of  nor- 
mal men  and  women  is  not  to  be  determined,  or 
gauged,  or  limited,  or  exploited,  one  way  or  another, 
because  of  the  abnormal  specimens  of  the  human 
species  which  now  and  then  appear  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth.  It  is  enough  that  it  be  determined 
what  is  right  and  wholesome  for  those  who  are  at 
least  somewhere  near  an  average  standard  of  hu- 
man beings,  and  to  make  it  possible  for  them  to  live 
as  their  best  interests,  physical,  mental  and  spiritual 


New  Order  of  Things  in  Married  Life     259 

demand  that  they  should  live.  To  such  a  realiza- 
tion the  desires  of  all  sane  men  and  women  hopefully 
go  out,  their  imaginations  picture  for  them  what 
life  would  be  under  such  righteous  conditions,  and 
it  only  remains  for  the  ingenuity  of  inspired  souls, 
lighted  by  wisdom  from  on  high,  to  discover  and  to 
disseminate  a  knowledge  which  will  bring  about  su<;h 
now  merely  ideal  results. 


CHAPTER  Xin 

OBJECTORS  AND  OBJECTIONS,  AND  SOME  ANSWERS  TO 
BOTH 

There  are  three  classes  of  people  who  have  al- 
ways been  objectors  to  any  form  of  birth  control, 
and  who  have  always  opposed  any  measures  which 
would  enable  parents  to  have  children  by  choice 
rather  than  by  chcmce.  These  are,  first,  the  war 
leaders;  second,  the  church  leaders;  and,  third,  the 
leaders  in  the  commercial  world  who  have  wanted 
cheap  labor.  There  are  reasons  why  these  people 
have  thought  and  done  as  they  have,  and  it  will  be 
well  to  study  these  somewhat  in  detail,  in  the  order 
in  which  they  have  arisen,  and  find  out  the  motives 
upon  which  their  beliefs  and  their  acts  have  been 
based. 

In  doing  this,  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that  the  pres- 
ence of  such  people  in  the  world  is  not  at  all  un- 
natural, nor  are  the  things  they  have  done  to  be 
wondered  at,  when  all  the  facts  are  taken  into 
account.  Indeed,  most  of  the  things  in  this  world 
that  are  at  first  called  unnatural  may  more  truth- 
fully be  called  perfectly  natural  when  the  whole  story 

260 


Objectors  and  Objections  261 

of  their  existence  is  known.  As  Mr.  Charles  Dickens 
remarks :  "It  might  be  well  to  stop,  now  and  then, 
and  consider  if,  in  many  cases,  it  is  not  natural  to  be 
unnatural !"  Many  of  man's  acts,  when  squared  by 
the  rules  of  righteousness,  are  most  unnatural;  but 
when  measured  by  the  causes  which  have  produced 
them,  they  are  as  natural  as  that  water  should  run 
down  hill !  They  couldn't  help  being  what  they  are, 
the  source  of  their  origin  being  what  it  was. 

According  to  this  principle,  it  was,  first,  perfectly 
natural  that  there  should  be  war  leaders  among  all 
the  primitive  peoples  of  the  earth.  This  condition 
began  in  the  earliest  history  of  the  race,  or  just  as 
soon  as  races  of  men  began  to  be.  Just  as  soon  as 
families  began  to  group  themselves  into  tribes,  and 
tribes  began  to  have  interests  which  were  hostile,  one 
to  another;  and  just  so  soon  as  they  began  to  main- 
tain their  interests,  which  they  usually  called  their 
rights,  against  those  who  would  deprive  them  of  the 
same,  just  so  soon  war  came  into  being,  and  with  its 
advent  came  the  leaders  and  conductors  of  human 
strife.  And  because,  in  all  the  earlier  wars  in  which 
mankind  engaged,  the  probabilities  of  victory  were 
always  in  favor  of  those  who  had  the  greatest  number 
of  warriors  in  the  field,  for  this  reason  the  war 
leaders  of  those  days  were  always  anxious  to  have 
as  many  fighting  men  as  possible  subject  to  their  call 
and  command. 

And  so  it  was  perfectly  natural  that  all  these  most 


262         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

prominent  men,  in  every  tribe,  should  be  ambitious  to 
have  as  many  prospective  warriors  as  possible  bom, 
in  order  that  their  armies  might  be  continually  well 
supplied  with  fighting  material.  And  because  female 
human  beings  were  needful  in  order  that  male  human 
beings  might  be  bom,  for  this  reason  the  war  lords 
tolerated  the  birth  of  girl  babies,  and  took  care  that 
they  should  be  made  fit  to  breed  at  as  early  a  period 
in  life  as  possible,  and  kept  breeding  to  the  limit  of 
their  possibilities.  For  these  reasons  they  used  every 
means  within  their  power  to  keep  the  birth  rate  as 
high  as  possible,  and  they  opposed  any  and  all 
means  or  measures  which  would  lower,  or  which 
threatened  to  lower  the  same.  That  is  the  early 
history  of  the  opposition  to  birth  control  on  the  part 
of  the  war  chiefs,  or  leaders,  in  those  far  days. 

And  what  thus  came  into  being  and  was  thor- 
oughly established  among  the  tribes  of  earth  grew  to 
more  and  more  as  these  tribes  were  grouped  into  com- 
munities, and  communities  into  states,  and  states 
into  nations.  In  all  these  social  aggregations,  the 
fundamental  principle  of  those  getting  together  was 
"us  and  ours"; and  to  make  such  a  combination  that 
what  they  h&d  could  not  be  taken  from  them,  while 
they  were  able  to  take  from  those  who  were  weaker 
than  they  were,  anything  that  they  happened  to 
want.  To  do  these  things  required  armies,  and 
armies  were  composed  of  men.  And  the  larger  thie 
social  aggregation,  the  bigger  the  state  or  the  natioiii 


Objectors  and  Objections  ^63 

the  larger  tKe  army  which  was  required  to  maintain 
the  same.  And  as  soldiers  could  only  be  made  out  of 
**boys  grown  tall,"  the  one  chief  desire  of  those  who 
commanded  soldiers  was  to  have  as  many  small  boys 
bom  as  possible,  out  of  which  to  make  tall  boys  in 
due  course  of  time.  To  secure  such  results,  these 
military  leaders  in  all  nations,  in  all  times,  have  done 
all  in  their  power  to  stimulate  in  every  possible  way 
the  rapid  reproduction  of  the  human  species  through- 
out all  the  realms  in  which  their  influence  could  be 
exercised  or  felt. 

This  they  have  done  both  positively  and  negatively. 
They  have  made  marriage  easy  and  divorce  hard, 
and  they  have  always  appealed  to  the  pride  and 
the  alleged  patriotism  of  their  constituents  in  the 
matter  of  bringing  children  into  the  world.  To  such 
extent  have  these  leaders  carried  this  militaristic 
idea  into  the  item  of  reproduction,  that,  everywhere, 
mothers,  even  to  this  day,  are  prouder  to  bear  boy 
babies  than  they  are  to  bring  girl  babies  into  the 
world,  and  even  in  the  Bible  it  is  written:  "She  no 
longer  remembereth  her  sorrow,  for  joy  that  a  man 
child  is  bom.'*  No  other  single  fact  could  show  how 
deep-seated  an  influence  militarism  has  succeeded  in 
imposing  upon  all  classes  of  human  beings  as  does 
this  one  which  I  have  here  referred  to.  (It  is  curious 
the  ways  in  which  many  of  the  things  in  which  we 
take  so  much  pride,  really  came  into  being!) 

Added  to  this,  these  same  military  leaders  have 


264}         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

appealed  to  the  vanity  and  Itfve  of  show  of  parents 
of  both  sexes,  by  surrounding  themselves  and  their 
troops  with  all  the  trappings  and  the  suits  of  pomp 
and  circumstance.  Dazzling  paraphernalia,  shining 
helmets  and  swords  and  glittering  arms  of  all  sorts 
are  in  evidence  wherever  soldiers  are.  Medals  of 
honor  gleam  on  stalwart  breasts,  and  flags  and 
banners  gay  are  flung  to  every  breeze  on  land  and 
sea  when  men  in  arms  appear.  And  stirring  music 
sounds,  and  drums  are  beaten  and  bugles  blown  till 
the  blood  of  all  who  hear  fairly  leaps  in  their  veins ! 

And  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  those  men  in  arms 
look  with  pride  upon  their  sons  in  the  ranks,  and 
rejoice  that  they  have  been  instrumental  in  providing 
the  essentials  of  these  serried  columns!  'Tis  they 
who  have  borne  these  lusty  lads  who  go  forth  under 
mighty  leaders  to  fight  for  country,  home  and  God! 
And,  being  thus  appealed  to,  these  husbands  and 
wives  of  the  rank  and  file  delight  to  bring  male  chil- 
dren into  the  world,  the  more  the  better;  and  they 
will  also  be  resigned  when  female  children  are  born 
to  them,  because  these  may  be  the  means  of  more 
male  children  being  born,  in  due  course  of  time. 

Such  is  the  positive  part  of  what  militarism  has 
done  to  insure  the  constant  filling  up  of  their  needed 
ranks ;  and,  negatively,  the  same  men  who  foster  and 
keep  alive  these  propaganda  most  strenuously  oppose 
any  and  every  means  or  method  which  would  tend  to 
reduce  the  birth  rate,  especially  among  the  rank  and 


Objectors  and  Objections  265 

file.  The  consequence  is  that,  being  thus  antagonized 
by  the  most  powerful  and  influential  men  in  all 
countries,  in  all  times,  the  science  of  bringing  children 
into  this  world  by  the  deliberate  choice  of  their 
parents  has  been  so  handicapped  that  it  has  never 
been  even  carefully  studied,  and  much  less  have 
attempts  been  made  to  put  into  practice  what  little 
has  been  discovered  and  become  known  on  the  subject. 
There  has  been  no  stimulus  toward  investigation  in 
this  field  of  possible  scientific  discovery,  and  laws 
have  been  made  to  prohibit  the  dissemination  of 
whatever  knowledge  on  this  subject  any  one  might 
possess.  Such  is  at  least  a  part  of  the  record  of 
what  militarism  has  done  in  the  line  of  keeping  the 
long-established  reproductive  situation  in  the  human 
family  what  it  has  been  and  now  is. 

Nor  should  militarism  be  too  much  blamed  for  its 
acts  in  the  past  or  present.  Things  being  as  they 
are,  this  factor  in  social  life  could  scarcely  do  other- 
wise than  as  has  been  done !  So  long  as  force  of  arms 
remains  the  chief,  if  not  the  sole  means  of  main- 
taining national  supremacy,  or  existence,  even,  such 
resource  must  be  exploited,  at  least  to  the  limit  which 
necessity  requires.  And  so,  both  the  logic  of  the 
situation  and  the  demands  of  the  same,  have  practi- 
cally compelled  these  things  to  be  as  they  have  been 
and  are ;  and  so  long  as  these  remain  as  they  always 
have  been,  and  are,  just  so  long  will  the  military 
factor  of  the  state  or  nation  have  to  stand  opposed 


^66         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

to  any  means  or  methods  which  would  reduce  the 
supply  of  soldiers  to  carry  out  their  commands.  With 
this  point  so  far  demonstrated,  let  it  rest  thus  for 
the  present. 

The  second  group  of  opponents  to  child  begetting 
and  birth  by  choice  rather  than  by  chance,  is,  and 
long  has  been,  composed  of  church  leaders,  who  have 
been  as  powerful,  in  their  way,  in  their  hostility  to 
the  introduction  of  this  principle  and  practice  as 
have  been  the  military  leaders  already  referred  to. 
And  the  opposition  which  these  have  offered  has  been 
intrenched  on  practically  the  same  grounds  which 
militarism  has  based  its  hostility  upon.  The  church 
has  needed  followers  and  supporters  as  the  army 
has  needed  soldiers.  These,  not  to  fight  or  shed 
blood,  but  to  furnish  the  needed  wherewithal  to 
exploit  and  maintain  the  institutions  of  which  church 
leaders  were  at  the  head. 

And  this  also  is  natural!  Religion  is  a  normal 
part  of  the  human  make-up,  and  to  organize  and 
maintain  religious  institutions  is  a  legitimate  part  of 
social  life.  But  here,  as  well  as  in  some  other  prac- 
tices of  gregarious  life,  it  might  be  truthfully  writ- 
ten :  "The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  thee  up !" 
And  so  it  came  about  that,  in  many  cases,  church 
leaders  came  to  feel  that  they  and  their  work  and 
their  institutions  were  the  most  important  affairs  in 
all  the  world,  and  that  they  should,  all  of  them,  be 
set  up  and  cared  for  accordingly.    And  to  care  for 


Oh jec tors  and  Objections  267 

and  support  the  religious  leaders  that  came  to  be, 
and  the  institutions  they  established,  soon  required 
great  sums  of  money  for  their  carrying-on,  and  to 
raise  and  keep  on  raising  great  sums  of  money  for 
this  purpose,  required  great  numbers  of  men  and 
women  to  do  what  was  counted  as  needful  to  be  done. 
And  so  these  leaders  were  anxious  for  large  foUow- 
ings,  and  large  foUowings  meant  large  families,  and 
there  we  are  again ! 

To  be  sure,  these  advocates  of  the  largest  possible 
number  of  births  in  all  families  were  not  as  anxious 
about  the  sex  of  those  bom  as  were  the  military 
leaders.  They  could  utilize  women  as  well  as  men 
in  their  work,  sometimes  better.  But  they  all  wanted 
plenty  of  children  of  both  sexes  in  their  flocks,  and 
they  proceeded  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  produce 
such  results. 

Their  method  of  procedure  in  the  premises  was 
quite  different  from  that  of  the  militarists;  it  was 
much  more  subtle  and  gripping,  as  it  were,  and  it  all 
came  to  the  same  in  the  long  run.  They  did  not 
appeal  so  much  to  the  natural  selfishness  which  was 
inherent  in  the  make-up  of  their  followers,  but  they 
exploited  the  reproductive  element  of  their  constitu- 
ents in  another  and  a  more  effective  way.  They  made 
marriage  a  most  sacred,  rather  than  a  merely  legal 
or  civil  institution;  and  they  introduced  the  idea 
that,  once  solemnized,  its  permanence  was  to  be 
measured  not  only  by  time,  but  by  all  eternity! 


268         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Under  these  conditions,  marriage  once  entered  upon 
could  never  be  escaped  from,  and  hence  all  ?ts  hard- 
ships had  to  be  endured,  all  its  wrongs  put  up  with, 
and  all  the  time  the  chance  of  bringing  children  into 
the  world  was  continually  in  evidence.  Added  to  all 
this,  these  leaders  of  the  religious  element  in  their 
followers  taught  that  to  use  any  means  to  prevent 
conception  was  a  crime  because  the  germs,  whose 
union  would  result  in  pregnancy,  were  alive,  and  to 
render  them  ineffective  was  nothing  less  than  murder, 
and  the  punishment  of  murder  was  endless  suffering 
in  a  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone ! 

It  is  not  pleasant  to  write  these  things,  but  that 
what  I  have  stated  is  only  the  plain  truth  is  a  matter 
of  common  knowledge  among  all  well-posted  people. 
And  that  this  pressure  was  put  upon  millions  of 
people  for  many,  many  years,  is  a  matter  of  history 
which  all  who  will  do  so  may  read.  And  it  is  further 
true  that  the  same  practically  compulsory  force  is 
still  exercised  in  many  quarters,  even  to  this  day, 
and  with  the  same  results  that  it  has  always 
produced. 

Nor  need  harsh  words  be  used  in  condemning  those 
who  inaugurated  and  made  efficient  the  means  and 
methods  which  have  just  been  noted  for  securing  the 
birth  of  great  numbers  of  children.  The  men  and 
women  who  expolited  these  ways  and  means  also 
acted  naturally,  all  things  being  taken  into  their 
account.     They  were  ostensibly  not  selfish  in  doing 


Objectors  and  Objections  S69 

as  they  di3;  surely  not  so,  as  they  translated  and 
gave  reasons  for  their  doings.  On  the  contrary,  as 
they  interpreted  their  deeds,  they  were  all  of  the 
highest  nature,  not  only  for  the  well-being  of  their 
flocks  while  they  lived  in  this  world,  but  for  their 
certain  happiness  and  delectation  in  a  world  yet 
to  come. 

Nor  need  the  honesty  of  these  church  leaders  be 
impugned,  at  least  that  of  the  great  majority  of 
them.  They  may  not  have  been  right  in  their  beliefs 
and  teachings  on  these  points,  but,  even  so,  that  they 
were  sincere  in  their  errors  it  is  at  least  charitable 
to  hold. 

And  the  results  of  these  teachings  regarding  birth 
control  have  been  inestimable !  It  is  only  a  very  few 
days  since  I  heard  a  woman  who  is  a  disciple  of  such 
leadership  say,  to  a  large  number  of  women  who 
came,  to  hear  her  talk :  "It  is  the  duty  of  every  wife 
to  bear  as  many  children  as  possible.  We  can  never 
have  too  many  babies  bom.  My  grandfather  had 
twenty-four,  and  that  was  none  too  many !"  She  did 
not  say  how  many  wives  the  old  gentleman  had  to 
bear  these  double  dozen  of  progeny,  but  from  her 
zeal  in  saying  what  she  did,  it  seemed  to  me  she 
would  have  fully  indorsed  the  teaching  of  the  old 
worthy  who  is  reported  to  have  said :  "If  a  woman 
die  from  child-bearing,  let  her  go  to  it.  It  is  for  such 
purpose  she  was  born,  and  she  has  no  cause  to  com- 
plain if  it  requires  her  life  to  fulfill  her  duty  T    But 


270         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

let  us  not  too  much  blame  even  those  who  would 
carry  their  philosophy  and  their  theories  to  such 
extremes.  Theirs  is  only  another  instance  of  zeal 
which  has  eaten  up  its  devotees. 

And  it  is  only  just  to  give  these  credit  for  all  the 
good  they  have  done,  as  well  as  to  charge  to  their 
account  the  wrongs  and  evils  they  have  inflicted  upon 
mankind  by  their  teachings  and  their  deeds.  The 
wonderful  temples  they  have  caused  to  be  built,  the 
hospitals  they  have  been  instrumental  in  establish- 
ing, and  the  institutions  of  learning  they  have  set  up, 
all  these  have  been  worthful,  for  the  most  part,  and 
they  should  be  so  reckoned.  It  has  needed  money, 
plenty  of  it,  and  always  more,  to  do  these  things. 
And,  as  the  economical  world  has  always  been,  it  has 
always  required  an  unlimited  number  of  common, 
every-day  workers,  to  produce  the  money  needed  to 
exploit  all  these  institutions  which  the  church  has, 
so  far,  been  the  chief  factor  in  originating  and 
carrying  on.  Hence,  honor  to  whom  honor  is  due. 
However,  nothing  is  permanent  in  this  world,  and 
progress  is  the  law  of  all  life;  and  it  is  worth  while 
to  consider  the  former  and  the  present  conditions 
just  referred  to,  and  to  ask  if  what  has  always  been 
in  these  particulars  must  always  be,  or  if  there  are 
better  things  in  store  in  these  matters  in  the  days 
that  are  before  us.  And  this  we  will  do,  later  on. 
Meantime,  it  is  only  fair  to  note  the  fact  that,  up  to 
date,  the  great  church  leaders  have  been  objectors  to 


Objectors  and  Objections  S71 

the  principle  and  practice  of  birth  control,  and  have 
always  favored  the  method  of  bringing  children  inti^ 
this  world  by  chance  rather  than  by  choice.  It 
should  be  remembered  too,  what  a  tremendous  influ- 
ence the  church  has  had  in  these  matters.  The 
religious  nature  is  one  of  the  strongest  in  all  the 
furnishings  that  humanity  possesses,  and  a  strong 
appeal  to  this  part  of  man's  being  is  most  potent  in 
the  results  it  produces.  So  the  fact  stands  that  the 
church  leaders  have  had  a  very  great  influence  in 
preventing  the  reproduction  of  the  human  species 
by  choice  rather  than  by  chance.  And  that  point 
is  all  that  need  be  made  at  this  stage  of  the  argument. 

The  third  class  of  objectors  to  any  restrictions 
being  placed  upon  the  reproduction  of  the  human 
species,  has  long  been  composed  of  the  exploiters  of 
human  labor.  In  the  nature  of  things,  these  objec- 
tors come  last  in  the  series  I  have  mentioned,  from 
the  fact  that  the  necessity  of  war  began  as  far  back 
as  the  tribal  life  of  mankind,  and  the  religious  ele- 
ment in  man  appeared  very  early  in  the  history  of 
the  race.  But  when  social  life  became  so  far  devel- 
oped that  it  became  possible  to  concentrate  labor, 
for  various  purposes,  then  came  the  desire  to  have 
an  ample  supply  of  this  commodity;  and  hence  to 
have  the  birth  of  children  as  numerous  as  possible. 

This  utilization  of  the  labor  of  others  than  one's 
self  took  two  forms;  first,  that  of  human  slavery, 
and,  second,  of  work  for  wages ;  but,  in  both  cases,  it 


272         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

was  for  the  interests  of  the  exploiters  of  labor  to 
have  a  plentiful  supply  of  those  who  worked  under 
their  direction  or  dictation.  In  the  first  case,  the 
more  hands  the  lighter  the  work ;  and  in  the  second, 
the  more  applicants  for  a  job  the  smaller  the  wages 
they  would  be  willing  to  accept  for  their  work.  And 
so,  the  real  reason  why  this  class  of  objectors  did  as 
they  did,  was  virtually  the  same  as  that  of  their  two 
predecessors.  They  all  wanted  a  multitude  of  men 
and  women  to  serve  their  own  particular  needs,  and 
to  keep  the  stream  of  such  always  bank-full  they  all 
opposed  any  limitation  to  the  springs  from  which  a 
bounteous  supply  of  the  material  they  wanted  flowed. 
The  means  which  this  third  class  has  always  used 
for  securing  its  ends  has  always  been  largely  of  the 
legislative  sort.  They  have  made  laws  which  tended 
to  stimulate  reproduction  or  to  prevent  anything  like 
the  exercise  of  the  will  on  the  part  of  the  parents  in 
the  matter  of  bringing  children  into  the  world.  That 
is,  they  have  tried  to  keep  the  breeding  of  human 
beings  as  near  the  line  of  mere  animality  as  possible. 
They  have  endeavored  to  have  men  and  women  pro- 
duce progeny  on  a  par  with  the  rest  of  animal  life. 
They  have  held  that  the  sole  purpose  of  sex  in  human 
beings  was  for  reproductive  purposes,  and  they  have 
always  strongly  inveighed  against  any  "meddling 
with  Nature's  ways."  They  have  held  that  "instinct" 
was  a  safe  and  sane  guide  in  all  these  affairs,  and 


Objectors  and  Objections  273 

they  have  always  said :  "Let  them  alone.  They  will 
find  the  way !" 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  what  this  class  of  objectors 
has  done  in  this  field  of  human  affairs,  far  surpasses 
in  wrongness  and  evil  results  the  things  that  the  two 
other  factors  I  have  mentioned  have  been  responsible 
for.  I  need  not  go  into  details,  but  the  breeders  of 
slaves  for  commercial  purposes,  and  the  exploiters  of 
the  poverty-stricken  for  the  sake  of  gain,  have 
always  been  of  this  class.  The  horrors  which  both  of 
these  have  enacted  are  too  awful  to  tell.  And  all 
the  evil  they  have  done  has  been  by  way  of  keeping 
children  from  being  born  by  choice,  and  to  perpetu- 
ate chance  as  a  factor  in  reproduction,  ever  and 
always. 

And  there  is  one  item  in  which  all  three  of  these 
objectors  and  opposers  of  birth  control  have  always 
been  a  unit,  namely,  they  have  never  had  any  idea  of 
The  Plus  of  Humanity,  especially  as  this  prime 
factor  in  the  make-up  of  mankind  should  be  taken 
into  account  in  the  matter  of  human  sex-functioning. 
They  have  all  reckoned  it  as  a  quality  which  was 
chiefly,  if  not  wholly  animal,  and  have  always  treated 
it  as  such. 

And,  indeed,  there  are  those  who  have  claimed  to 
come  up  into  a  higher  realm  in  the  study  and  exploit- 
ation of  this  part  of  human  life,  namely,  certain 
theorists  regarding  eugenics,  who  have  really  done 


274  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

not  much  better  in  their  philosophies  than  have  these 
three  classes  of  objectors  I  have  just  pointed  out. 
For  they  have  based  nearly  all  of  their  theories  upon 
results  that  have  been  obtained  exclusively  from  the 
breeding  of  mere  animals.  Some  of  these  have  ranked 
high  in  scientific  esteem,  and  they  have  been  widely 
quoted  with  approval  by  leaders  in  whom  the  rank 
and  file  have  had  the  greatest  confidence.  And  yet, 
I  do  not  know  of  even  one  of  these  who  has  taken  the 
Plus  of  Humanity  into  account  in  his  reckoning! 
They  breed  rabbits  and  Guinea  pigs  and  pigeons,  and 
from  the  results  thus  obtained,  they  deduce  laws 
which  tliey  claim  should  obtain  in  the  perpetuation 
of  the  human  species.  But  never  a  word  have  they 
set  down  regarding  the  affectional  expression  of  the 
sex-impulse  in  mankind,  nor  have  they  suggested  any 
method  of  procedure  on  the  part  of  husbands  and 
wives,  so  far  as  reproduction  is  concerned,  which 
was  above  that  of  the  brutes  upon  which  they  experi- 
mented. For  this  cause,  little  real  knowledge  has  so 
far  been  gained  from  scientific  circles  regarding  this 
subject  which  is  of  such  vital  importance  in  the 
upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  human  race,  in  its 
highest  and  best  estate.  And  so,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
even  these  advocates  of  what  they  claim  would  be  a 
better  order  of  things,  for  the  human  race,  really 
treat  the  whole  subject  on  so  low  and  material-  a 
plane  that  little  if  any  good  has,  or  can,  result  from 
what  they  have  done  or  what  they  propose.    What  is 


Objectors  and  OhjectioTis  275 

needed  in  this  whole  affair  is  to  give  it  a  mental  and 
spiritual  standing  in  which  the  principle  of  the  Plus 
of  Humanity  shall  be  recognized  as  the  chief  element 
to  be  considered  in  securing  results  that  shall  be 
really  worth  while. 

And  the  reason  for  this  is,  as  all  know  who  have 
studied  this  subject  by  taking  all  the  factors  into 
account,  that  the  breeding  of  mere  animals  is  one 
^  thing,  and  the  bringing  of  human  beings  into  this 
world  is  quite  another  thing!  The  Patriarch  Jacob 
may  have  secured  the  finest  of  Laban's  herds  for 
himself  by  having  the  strongest  cattle  copulate  with 
the  bright  rods  before  their  eyes  at  the  moment  of 
conception,  with  the  result  that  the  calves  born 
from  such  unions  were  ring-streaked  and  striped; 
but  no  such  definite  results  have  ever  followed  from 
any  conceptional  environment  in  the  case  of  human 
beings.  Mere  animals  have  no  "Plus"  in  their  make- 
up ;  and  the  fact  is  that  the  "Plus"  which  humanity 
possesses  in  its  own  right,  and  as  its  distinctive 
quality  among  all  life-forms — that  it  is  this  which 
has  more  to  do  with  reproductive  results  in  the 
human  species  than  have  all  the  material  elements  in 
the  problem  combined.  And  that  is  something  to 
think  about,  and  what  I  am  trying  to  bring  to  the 
fore  in  what  I  am  writing.  It  is  also  the  reason 
why  the  objectors  to  birth  control,  and  the  advocates 
of  eugenics  who  treat  the  subject  on  a  mere  material 
plane,  both  need  to  mend  their  ways  by  taking  into 


276  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

their  reckoning  this  greatest  of  all  items  in  the 
matter  of  righteous  sex-functioning  of  human  beings. 

So  much  regarding  the  objectors  and  the  objec- 
tions to  the  proposition  to  make  the  bringing  of  cliil- 
dren  into  this  world  a  matter  of  choice  rather  than  of 
chance.  It  remains  to  make  answer  to  these,  which 
let  us  here  undertake  to  do  as  follows : 

The  common  element  in  all  opponents  to  the 
proposition  is,  that  such  order  of  things  undoubtedly 
would  reduce  the  number  of  children  born,  and  that 
this  would  be  a  calamity  to  the  world,  especially  to 
their  part  in  it.  The  military  leaders  claim  that 
their  need  of  soldiers  would  be  impossible  of  supply ; 
the  church  leaders  declare  that  their  source  of  sup- 
port would  be  greatly  lessened,  and  the  employers  of 
labor  insist  that  if  the  number  of  their  possible  em- 
ployees be  reduced  wages  will  rise,  and  this  they  look 
upon  as  a  condition  to  be  avoided  if  possible.  Let 
us  look  at  tliese  claims,  one  by  one,  and  see  how  well 
founded  they  are,  when  all  the  facts  are  taken  into 
account.    . 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  by  no  means  certain,  as  I 
have  already  suggested,  that  the  total  population  of 
any  particular  country  or  countries,  or  of  the  world 
as  a  whole,  would  necessarily  be  greatly  lowered 
under  the  method  of  sex-living  proposed.  It  might 
be,  or  it  might  not  be ;  and  to  have  a  choice  between 
these  two  conditions  would  be  an  attainment  in 
human  social  affairs  of  no  small  moment !    The  item 


Objectors  cmd  Objections  277 

in  the  count  which  would  make  any  great  decrease  in 
the  total  of  population  possibly  improbable  is  the 
fact  that,  with  the  birth  rate  lowered,  the  death  rate 
of  such  children  as  were  born  would  be  greatly  les- 
sened, so  that  the  total  survivors  left  to  grow  to 
maturity  might  thus  possibly  be  as  great  as  under 
present  conditions,  where  millions  of  chance-bom 
children  now  die  annually,  both  because  they  are  so 
numerous  that  they  cannot  receive  from  their  over- 
productive  mothers  the  prenatal  vitality  which  they 
needed  to  enable  them  to  reach  adult  life,  or  because 
^  they  were  so  poorly  nourished  in  their  childhood, 
because  of  the  poverty  of  their  parents  that  they 
perished  from  lack  of  such  nutrition  as  their  main- 
tenance in  life  demanded  they  should  have  at  this 
period  of  their  existence.  In  other  words,  it  is  but 
good  common  sense  to  believe  that,  with  fewer  chil- 
dren born,  the  probabilities  of  survival  for  those  who 
were  bom  would  be  greatly  increased,  and  so  the 
total  reaching  maturity  might  not  be  lessened  in  the 
long  run.  Or  to  say  it  still  another  way,  an  improve- 
ment in  the  quality  of  the  children  that  were  born  by 
choice,  would  make  up  for  the  lessening  of  the  quan- 
tity bom  by  chance.  This  also  would  seem  to  be  good 
common  sense. 

But,  granting  for  the  sake  of  the  argument  that 
there  would  be  a  falling  off  of  adult  population  as 
compared  with  the  past  and  present  ratio  of  increase, 
if  the  birth  rate  were  lowered  by  having  children 


278         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

born  by  choice  rather  than  by  chancCy  this  can  be 
truthfully  said  of  such  a  condition,  namely,  that,  for 
all  of  these  objectors^  there  is  no  longer  the  need  that 
there  once  was  that  they  be  as  bountifully  supplied 
with  human  beings  with  which  to  advance  or  protect 
their  interests  as  there  once  wasy  indeed y  as  there  has 
always  been  up  to  the  present  time!  Let  us  see  how 
this  is. 

Take  the  military  situation  first.  At  first  thought 
it  would  seem  that  the  change  that  has  so  recently 
come  to  the  whole  world  in  this  regard  was  unique 
to  a  degree  that  could  not  be  equaled.  Yet,  such  is 
not  the  case,  as  we  shall  soon  see.  But  consider  the 
military  status  of  the  nations  of  the  earth,  as  it 
exists  today,  and  as  it  was  before  the  great  world 
war  which  has  just  closed.  Only  a  few  short  years 
ago,  practically  all  these  nations  stood  hostilely 
armed  against  each  other.  Virtually  there  was  a 
chip  on  the  shoulder  of  every  one  of  them.  Some  of 
the  chips  were  larger  than  others,  but  in  all  cases, 
a  chip  of  some  size  was  there.  Under  these  condi- 
tions, in  every  case,  that  chip  had  to  be  looked  after, 
and  it  could  be  looked  after  in  only  one  way,  and 
that  was  at  the  point  of  a  bayonet  or  the  mouth  of  a 
cannon.  And  it  takes  soldiers  to  wield  bayonets  and 
to  fire  cannon.  And  so  all  the  nations  in  all  the  earth 
were  compelled  to  maintain  an  army  at  least  of  such 
size  as  they  deemed  was  necessary  to  protect  their 
own  p^ticular  chip.  And  there  you  are.  The  result 


Objectors  and  Objections  £79 

of  this  was  that  the  whole  world  was  practically  an 
armed  camp,  equipped  or  ready  to  be  equipped,  fight- 
ing or  easily  made  ready  to  fight.  And  all  the  world 
knows  the  rest  of  the  story. 

Under  these  universal  conditions  there  was  only 
one  way  to  maintain  the  interests  of  any  nation,  and 
that  was  by  having  a  large  number  of  soldiers,  real 
or  prospective,  ready  to  do  battle  as  needs  required. 
And  to  have  such  supply  of  soldiers  meant  a  constant 
and  ample  supply  of  boy  babies  bom  in  every  nation 
on  earth.  These  facts  are  so  trite  that  there  is  scarce 
need  of  recounting  them.  We  all  know  how  these 
things  were. 

But  now!  Why,  now,  the  probabilities  are  many 
to  one  that  all  these  things  will  be  different,  hence- 
forth, and  forever !  As  I  write,  the  details  for  a  world 
peace  have  not  been  fully  formulated,  but  that  some 
arrangements  will  be  made  which  will  result  in  such 
a  condition — of  this  there  can  be  small  doubt  in  the 
eternal  order  of  things.  I  know  there  are  still  some 
doubting  souls  who  cannot  believe  that  this  assump- 
tion is  warranted,  but  the  like  has  always  been  when- 
ever progress  in  any  line  of  life  has  been  made  in  this 
old  world  of  ours.  There  were  those  who  would  not 
believe  that  the  earth  was  round  though  the  fact  was 
proven  beyond  peradventure.  And  evei^  I  can 
remember  when  it  was  publicly  denied  that  it  was 
possible  for  a  man  to  sit  in  a  chair  in  ^few  York  and 
talk  to  a  man  equally  at  ease  in  San  Francisco.  And, 


X 


280         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

of  course,  no  one  could  ever  fly!  And  to  stand  on 
the  ground  and  communicate  with  a  man  who  was 
miles  high  in  the  air,  surely  that  could  never  be 
done !  But  it  has  been  done,  and  it  will  be  done,  long 
years  after  these  doubters  have  gone  to  their  reward ! 
These  things  are  not  only  here,  but  they  are  here  to 
stay,  and  to  grow  to  more  and  more,  by  way  of  per- 
fection, as  time  goes  on. 

And,  by  the  same  token,  not  only  has  the  possi- 
bility of  an  amicable  adjustment  of  national  and 
international  affairs  of  the  world  without  war,  come 
to  mankind,  but  once  inaugurated  it  will  come  to 
stay! 

Need  I  argue  this  point  further?  Surely  not  here. 
Only  let  me  add  that  with  ten  millions  of  the  finest 
young  men  in  all  the  world  dead,  and  with  many 
times  that  number  made  cripples  for  life,  to  say 
nothing  of  untold  billions  of  money  worse  than  wasted 
which  numberless  generations  must  be  taxed  to  pay — 
take  all  these  things  together,  the  whole  world  has 
learned  the  lesson  that  war  is  a  horror  unbearable 
and  the  people  of  the  world  have  made  up  their  minds 
that  they  will  have  no  more  of  it.  And  these  facts, 
which  are  patent  to  all  open-minded  people,  will 
insure  the  stability  of  some  sort  of  mutual  relation- 
ship between  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  a  condition 
which  will,  in  time,  bring  about  the  abolition  of 
militarism  as  the  chief  factor  in  national  life. 

And,  with  the  passing  of  militarism  as  a  supreme 


Objectors  and  Objections  281 

factor  in  national  life,  there  will  go  the  further 
necessity  of  the  maintenance  of  the  armies  and  navies 
of  the  world;  and  that  means  that  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  the  world  will  not  longer  feel  compelled 
to  beget  and  rear  as  many  boys  to  be  used  as  food 
for  cannon  as  they  used  to  be  required  to  produce 
and  care  for.  And  that  is  at  least  a  partial  answer 
to  the  military  objectors  to  having  children  born 
by  choice  rather  than  by  chance. 

Next,  take  the  church  contingent,  and  see  what 
the  situation  is  there  as  regards  this  issue.  And 
here  much  the  same  conditions  obtain  as  are  found 
in  the  military  part  of  the  social  life  of  mankind. 
Only  there  is  this  difference,  namely,  that,  whereas, 
multitudes  of  soldiers  are  no  longer  needed  to  fight 
the  battles  of  the  world,  on  the  part  of  the  church, 
such  multitudes  of  contributors  as  were  once  needed 
to  further  its  objects  of  exploitation  are  no  longer 
required  to  carry  on  the  work  which  now  falls  to  its 
lot  to  perform.  A  moment^s  reflection  will  show  how 
this  is. 

Up  to  very  modem  times,  the  church,  in  its  various 
forms  and  denominations,  not  only  looked  after  the 
salvation  of  the  souls  of  its  membership,  but  it  pro- 
vided for  the  education  of  the  children  of  its  people, 
and  looked  after  the  physical  recuperation  of  the 
sick  and  afflicted  among  all  its  parishioners.  That 
is,  the  various  church  organizations,  all  over  the 
world,  not  only  built  temples  of  great  magnificence 


282         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

where  their  followers  might  worship,  but  they  also 
established  schools  and  universities,  many  of  them  of 
the  highest  rank  and  efficiency,  wherever  they  held 
sway,  and  they  maintained  hospitals  where  thousands 
of  their  afflicted  communicants  might  be  cared  for 
with  the  utmost  that  skill  and  devotion  could  com- 
mand. All  these  items  stand  to  the  credit  of  the 
churches  which  have  promulgated  and  supported 
them  through  all  the  years,  and  none  too  high  praise 
can  be  given  all  of  them  for  their  good  works  on  all 
these  lines. 

And  it  has  taken  the  most  generous  supply  and 
expenditure  of  money  to  carry  on  all  these  helps  for 
humanity.  And  to  furnish  this  money,  a  great  fol- 
lowing of  people  has  been  an  absolute  necessity.  As 
before  noted,  this  is  one  great  reason  why  the  church 
leaders  have  always  been  so  anxious  to  have  as  large 
a  constituency  as  possible  to  fall  back  upon,  and 
upon  whom  they  might  limitlessly  call  for  the  means 
with  which  to  carry  on  their  most  laudable  institu- 
tions and  undertakings.  These  are  all  well-known 
and  gladly  acknowledged  facts  by  all  well-posted 
people. 

But — and  here  again  appear  the  changed  condi- 
tions which  have  come  in  modern  times,  and  which 
practically  appear  today  in  most,  if  not  all  the 
countries  in  the  world  where  churches  are  in  evidence 
as  factors  in  the  social  life  of  the  communities  in 
which   they   exist.      This   changed   condition   is   as 


Objectors  and  Objections  2SS 

follows,  namely,  that  whereas,  under  the  former 
order,  these  religious  organizations  looked  after  the 
education  of  the  children  of  their  people  and  cared 
for  their  sick  and  afflicted,  now,  and  in  recent  years, 
the  civil  institutions  which  collective  mankind  have 
set  up  and  which  they  maintain  along  all  these  lines, 
do  all  this  work  which  churches  once  did,  and  so 
have  relieved  these  organizations  from  the  immense 
financial  burdens  which  they  once  were  obliged  to 
carry. 

That  is,  the  church  leaders  no  longer  need  the 
immense  sums  of  money  which  they  were  once 
required  to  have,  because  others  are  doing,  and  doing 
well,  the  work  they  were  once  required  to  perform. 
And  with  the  passing  of  this  obligation  on  their  part, 
there  passes  the  necessity  for  the  immense  following 
which  they  were  once  obliged  to  have. 

Perhaps  it  should  be  said  that  many  of  these 
religious  organizations,  out  of  sheer  inertia,  still 
maintain  their  schools  and  hospitals,  but  the  need 
of  their  continuing  to  do  so  is  lessening  every  day ; 
and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  civil  institu- 
tions of  the  world  will  take  care,  and  good  care,  of 
all  these  needs  of  their  citizens.  The  public  schools, 
colleges  and  universities  will  educate  all  the  children 
of  all  the  people,  and  public  hospitals  and  helpful 
institutions  of  various  kinds,  will  take  care  of  all 
the  sick  and  afflicted  who  may  need  their  generous 
and  kindly  assistance. 


284  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Let  nothing  that  has  been  said  regarding  the 
work  of  religious  organizations  in  the  world  be 
interpreted  a£  even  suggesting  that  their  work  is 
done,  or  that  they  are  no  longer  needed  as  efficient 
factors  for  furthering  the  well-being  of  mankind.  On 
the  contrary,  their  mission  in  the  economy  of  social 
life  is,  in  some  respects,  greater  than  ever.  But,  as 
in  so  many  other  cases  which  have  come  in  the 
reorganization  of  gregarious  life,  their  part  in  the 
programme  has  been  intensified  rather  than  enlarged, 
and  it  is  now  their  lot  to  minister  to  the  spiritual, 
rather  than  to  the  material  needs  of  their  followers. 
And  all  the  signs  of  the  times  indicate  that  they  will 
do  this  better  than  ever  before.  The  point  in  what 
I  have  to  say  is,  as  I  have  already  suggested,  that,  to 
meet  such  spiritual  needs,  they  will  not  require  the 
vast  sums  of  money  they  have  heretofore  been  obliged 
to  have,  and  so  will  not  suffer  even  if  the  number  of 
their  constituents  is  comparatively  lessened. 

And  so  it  will  fall  out  in  due  time  that  the  church 
leaders  also  can  cease  their  opposition  to  having  chil- 
dren born  by  choice  and  consent  to  their  coming  into 
being  only  by  choicey  as  their  parents  want  them,  and 
are  able  to  provide  for  them  as  children  ought  to  be 
provided  for. 

And  as  for  the  employers  of  labor,  their  case  is 
more  easily  righteously  disposed  of  than  that  of 
either  the  military  or  the  church  leaders.  This, 
because  of  the  fact  that  machinery  now  does  the 


Objectors  and  Objections  285 

great  bulk  of  the  work  of  the  world  which  was  once 
done  bj  hand,  and  hence  there  is  no  longer  need  that 
there  be  so  many  hands  as  once  were  required  to  do 
the  work  that  must  be  done.  As  I  shall  have  to  con- 
sider this  factor  of  social  life  at  greater  length  in  a 
following  chapter,  I  leave  it  here  with  this  partial 
statement  of  the  main  facts  in  the  situation,  as  they 
pertain  to  this  part  of  the  subject. 

And  so  it  turns  out  that,  even  if  the  bringing  of 
children  into  this  world  by  choice  rather  than  by 
chance  should  lower  the  rate  of  increase  of  adult 
population  in  the  world,  such  a  result  would  not  be 
detrimental  to  the  race  as  a  whole,  things  being  as 
they  are.  But  more  of  this  further  on  in  my 
argument. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WHEN    SHALL    THESE    THINGS    BE? 

It  is  a  number  of  years  since  I  first  entertained  tht 
idea  of  choice  rather  than  chance  becoming  a  recog- 
nized principle  in  the  reproduction  of  the  human  race, 
and  began  to  plan  the  writing  of  such  a  book  as  I  am 
now  writing;  but  it  was  not  till  a  few  months  ago 
that  I  felt  warranted  in  really  undertaking  the  task 
which  I  am  now  working  out.  The  reason  of  this  will 
occur  to  the  reader  on  a  moment's  reflection,  as 
follows : 

So  long  as  militarism  was  and  continued  to  be  the 
chief  factor  in  the  policies  and  practices  of  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  it  would  be  impossible  for  such 
a  plan  as  I  have  proposed  to  be  carried  out,  even  to 
a  limited  degree.  Because,  under  these  conditions, 
as  I  have  already  shown,  necessity  required  that 
every  nation  should  have  at  its  call  and  command  as 
large  a  number  of  soldiers  as  possible,  and  if  any 
nation,  or  nations,  failed  to  maintain  such  military 
resources,  while  other  nations  continued  to  produce 
the  same,  it  would  be  but  a  matter  of  time  until  those 
which  had   the  most  numerous   armies   could,   and 

286 


When  Shall  These  Things  Be?  287 

would,  conquer  and  subjugate  those  which  were  not 
their  numerical  equals. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  France  stood  as  an  ever  pres- 
ent example  of  a  nation  open  to  such  danger,  and  it 
is  a  matter  of  history  that  she  came  very  near  suffer- 
ing overwhelming  defeat  for  this  cause.  As  a  nation, 
the  French  people  have  perhaps  come  nearer  practic- 
ing birth  control,  that  is,  having  children  by  choice 
rather  than  by  chance,  than  any  other  people  in  all 
the  world.  Under  these  conditions,  at  one  time  the 
birth  rate  in  that  country  fell  so  low  that  it  became 
a  cause  of  genuine  alarm  to  those  who  had  the  wel- 
fare of  the  nation  at  heart ;  nor  was  such  fear  by  any 
means  unwarranted.  With  all  the  other  nations 
about  her  breeding  children  by  chance,  and  so  in 
limitless  supply,  while  she  produced  children  in  only 
limited  numbers,  as  her  fathers  and  mothers  chose  to 
do  under  such  circumstances,  it  was  mathematically 
certain  what  the  outcome  of  such  order  of  things 
would  ultimately  be.  It  was  in  view  of  this  situation 
that  the  ruling  powers  in  France  appealed  to  their 
constituents,  in  many  ways,  and  stimulated  parents 
to  be  as  prolific  as  possible,  and  so  help  avert  the 
possible  calamity  of  national  destruction.  And  it  is 
a  note-worthy  fact  that  such  appeal  brought  results ! 
Note  that  fact  for  further  reference, 
^  And  so  it  was  that  I  saw  in  the  case  of  France  an 
example  which  demonstrated  the  impossibility  of  any 
one  nation,  or  of  a  few  nations,  espousing  and  acting 


288         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

upon  the  principle  of  birth  by  choice,  while  all  the 
rest  of  the  nations  kept  on  breeding  by  chance.  And 
so  long  as  this  condition  of  affairs  lasted,  I  realized 
the  futility  of  even  suggesting  what  I  have  advocated 
in  this  book. 

But  now,  all  this  is  bound  to  be  different!  The 
world-war*  has  brought  a  change  in  human  affairs 
which  will  not  only  make  it  possible  to  propose  birth 
control  as  an  efficient  factor  in  social  life,  but  it  has 
really  precipitated  a  condition  in  national  existence 
in  which  the  adoption  and  practice  of  such  method  of 
populating  the  earth  in  the  coming  years  will  be  not 
only  a  workable  proposition,  but  an  absolute  neces- 
sity, as  I  shall  soon  show! 

As  to  the  first  point,  the  situation  of  all  the  differ- 
ent peoples  of  the  earth  is  now  such  as  to  make  the 
practice  of  birth  control  possible,  provided  the  means 
for  so  doing  are  definitely  found  out  and  then  made 
available  for  all  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the 
world !  For  now,  since  the  military  factor  of  social 
life  is  no  longer  to  be  in  evidence  as  the  chief  element 
of  national  existence,  it  follows  that  any  and  all 
nations  are  at  liberty  to  abandon  the  chief  source 
of  supply  upon  which  militarism  has  always  relied 
to  give  it  prestige. 

Of  course,  such  change  will  not  come  all  at  once, 
or  suddenly,  to  any  nation,  much  less  to  all  nations; 
but,  the  science  of  human  reproduction,  on  a  basis  of 
choice  rather  than  cha/nce  once  discovered,  and  its 


When  Shall  These  Things  Be?  289 

practice  actually  inaugurated,  its  spread  will  be 
assured  in  due  time,  all  over  the  whole  earth.  This 
cannot  be  otherwise,  for  the  advantages  to  be  thus 
obtained,  to  all  parties  concerned,  are  so  many  and 
so  great  that,  once  realized,  they  will  be  universally 
adopted,  as  fast  as  they  can  become  known. 

Never  before  in  the  history  of  the  world  has  such 
an  attainment  as  this  been  possible ;  but  it  is  possible 
now,  and  because  it  is  possible,  and  because  the 
results  it  would  bring  about  are  so  desirable,  and  in 
time  will  become  so  necessary,  the  establishment  of 
such  order  of  living  for  the  whole  human  race  is  as 
sure  to  be  realized  as  is  any  other  good  thing  which 
has  come  about  in  the  line  of  the  progress  of  man- 
kind. For  such  is  the  natural  and  eternal  order 
of  things. 

All  of  which  means  that,  the  establishment  of  these 
conditions  will  sometime  become,  not  only  a  national, 
but  an  international  affair.  And,  more  than  this,  it 
will  apply  alike  to  all  classes  of  people,  rich  and 
poor,  high  and  low,  or  what  you  will.  In  this  respect 
it  will  be  like  the  dissemination  of  learning  which  is 
now  becoming  so  wide-spread,  and  which  will  some- 
time be  universal.  Time  was  when  the  acquirement 
of  an  education  was  confined  to  a  select  few;  and 
there  have  been  many  nations  where  even  to  teach  a 
child  to  read,  outside  certain  select  circles,  would 
subject  the  teacher  to  punishment,  sometimes  of  the 
severest  sort.  But  such  conditions  have  passed,  never 


290  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

to  return,  so  far  as  education  is  concerned.  Even 
so,  up  to  date,  the  meager  knowledge  of  birth  control 
which  the  wisest  have  so  far  discovered  has  been 
confined  to  a  certain  few  who  have  had  the  money  to 
clandestinely  obtain  such  knowledge  as  has  been 
found  out,  or  the  power  to  defy  the  laws  which  have 
prevented  a  dissemination  of  what  is  known  in  these 
regards. 

( It  is  on  such  facts,  namely,  what  the  few  who  had 
knowledge  have  done,  that  the  principle  has  been 
announced  that  the  higher  the  type  of  human  beings, 
the  less  these  would  reproduce.  And  from  such 
alleged  logical  position  it  has  been  reasoned  that 
there  would  never  be  .any  danger  of  over-populating 
the  world,  etc.  The  fallacy  of  this  argument  lies  in 
the  false  basis  upon  which  it  rests.  It  is  not  so 
much  the  inability  to  bear  children  upon  the  part  of 
those  who  are  so  nearly  childless,  as  it  is  their  being 
able  to  avail  themselves  of  such  knowledge  and  prac- 
tices as  result  in  limiting  the  number  of  their  prog- 
eny.   But  more  of  this  later. ) 

But,  under  an  order  of  things  in  which  positive 
scientific  knowledge  regarding  birth  control  is  an 
actual  human  possession,  and,  as  such,  can  be  uni- 
versally disseminated,  the  item  of  bringing  children 
into  this  world  will  then  be  a  matter  of  choice  and 
not  of  chance  for  all  husbands  and  wives  everywhere. 
That  is,  with  the  passing  of  militarism,  the  possi- 
bility of  the  exercise  of  the  will  as  a  factor  in  the 


When  Shall  These  Things  Be?  291 

reproduction  of  the  human  species  will  become 
realizable. 

Again,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  science  has  now  reached  such  a  degree  of 
attainment  that  it  is  possible  for  it  to  solve  the 
intricate  problem  of  conception  as  it  occurs  in  the 
human  species.  And  that  is  another  fact  which  can 
be  set  down  as  making  the  present  the  acceptable 
time  for  undertaking  the  establishment  of  choice 
rather  than  chance  as  the  chief  factor  in  bringing 
children  into  this  world. 

Up  to  date,  the  whole  matter  of  the  actual  condi- 
tion under  which  a  woman  may  conceive  is  practically 
an  unknown  quantity.  As  noted  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter, it  is  known  that  such  a  result  comes  from  the 
union  of  the  male  and  female  germ-cells ;  but  what  the 
conditions  are,  or  must  be,  under  which  such  cells 
will,  or  will  not  unite — all  this  is,  for  the  most  part, 
still  a  matter  of  mystery.  And  it  is  to  the  clearing 
up  of  this  mystery  that  the  science  of  the  future  must 
devote  itself.  And  it  will  do  this  just  as  soon  as  it 
is  safe  for  it  to  bend  its  energies  in  that  direction, 
not  before.  That  is,  it  will  do  this  when  the  laws 
which  now  practically  brand  as  a  crime  even  a  search 
for  such  knowledge  are  removed  from  the  statute 
books  of  the  states  and  the  nations  of  the  world. 
Then,  but  not  before. 

But,  with  these  barriers  to  human  progress 
removed,  that  scientific  men  and  women  will  devote 


292         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

themselves  to  the  solution  of  this  most  important  of 
all  human  problems — of  this  there  is  not  a  doubt. 
And  it  is  equally  certain  that,  having  once  under- 
taken this  task,  they  will  never  cease  laboring  upon 
it  till  they  have  found  what  they  were  looking  for. 
And  they  will  do  this  sometime.  And  now  is  the 
accepted  time  for  them  to  be  set  to  this  work. 

In  which  connection  it  may  be  remarked  that  Ger- 
many, with  her  characteristic  definite  methods  for 
arriving  at  conclusions  and  results,  took  advantage 
of  certain  opportunities  which  the  war  offered  by 
making  some  interesting  studies  and  experiments 
along  the  lines  of  birth  control,  in  a  way,  as  follows: 
By  deliberately  arranging  the  meeting-time  of  fur- 
loughed  soldiers  and  their  wives,  and  by  noting  the 
sex  of  the  children  bom  from  such  meetings,  they 
deduced  certain  laws  regarding  the  determination  of 
the  sex  of  a  child  at  the  time  of  its  conception,  which 
promised  to  be  of  great  value  to  the  future  of  the 
nation  in  its  aim  to  be  the  greatest  military  power  in 
the  world.  Of  course,  what  Germany  was  anxious  to 
find  out  was,  how  to  breed  boys,  who  would  in  time 
make  soldiers ;  and  many  of  the  results  they  obtained 
go  to  show  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  realize  the 
results  they  aimed  to  secure. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  gaining  of  this 
particular  item  of  knowledge  has  no  definite  relation 
to  the  matter  of  determining,  by  choice^  the  number 
of  children  that  any  husband  and  wife  may  have, 


When  Shall  These  Things  Be?  293 

but  it  does  establish  the  possibility  of  at  least  some 
positive  knowledge  being  obtained  in  this  most  com- 
plicated of  all  human  problems,  when  the  same  is 
sought  after  and  pursued  under  scientific  control 
and  by  methods  that  will  yield  determinable  results. 
It  is  such  scientific  research,  properly  and  right- 
eously applied  in  times  of  peace  that  will  yield  the 
knowledge  that  will  be  required  to  make  positive  birth 
control  in  all  its  phases,  an  actuality.  And  now  is 
the  accepted  time  for  undertaking  such  work,  which, 
up  to  the  present,  has  never  been  possible  of  even 
trying  for. 

One  more  reason  why  now  is  the  accepted  time 
for  undertaking  this  task,  is  the  fact  that  the  recent 
world-war  has  swept  away  mountains  of  prudery  and 
prejudice  regarding  sex  life  and  sex  living  which  have 
heretofore  barred  all  attempts  at  progress  towards 
bettering  the  status  of  mankind  in  these  most  essen- 
tial matters  of  human  life.  Books  are  now  written 
and  read  in  which  the  item  of  sex  in  the  human  race 
is  treated  in  a  manner  that  would  not  have  been 
tolerated  but  a  few  years  ago.  More  than  this, 
newspapers  and  magazines  print  columns,  and  even 
pages,  upon  this  subject,  and  all  these  are  read  by 
millions  of  persons  who,  but  a  short  time  ago,  would 
have  turned  pale,  or  red,  at  the  very  thought  of 
reading  what  they  now  read  without  a  tremor  of  any 
sort,  and  "without  shame,  or  the  thought  of  shame." 
All  of  which  is  as  it  should  be. 


294         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

Added  to  all  this,  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  has  recently  begun  the  publication  and  distri- 
bution of  sex  literature,  on  a  very  extended  scale, 
much  of  which  would  not  have  been  permitted  to  go 
through  the  mails  only  a  few  years  ago.  Some  of 
these  documents  are  of  a  very  pronounced  sort,  and 
deal  with  the  subject  in  no  uncertain  way.  They 
"call  a  spade  a  spade"  and  discuss  sex  matters  in 
terms  that  he  who  runs  may  read  and  understand. 
And  the  government  officials  are  broad-casting  this 
literature  through  the  mails  to  the  extent  of  millions 
of  copies  annually. 

Besides  these  new  departures  on  the  part  of  the 
press  and  the  government,  such  staid  and  heretofore 
almost  if  not  quite  "purist"  institutions  as  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  have  left  their  old 
negative  hush  and  don't  moorings,  and  are  now  sail- 
ing out  into  a  more  open  sea  of  light  and  air  in  the 
item  of  sex-knowledge.  Both  these  institutions  are 
doing  much  towards  the  dissemination  of  information 
regarding  sex,  as  a  factor  in  human  life.  They  have 
lectures  given  upon  these  subjects,  and  they  dis- 
tribute much  literature  which  has  sex  for  its  theme. 
They  have  special  counselors  and  advisors  upon  sex 
matters,  who  can  be  consulted  by  their  members,  and 
in  many  ways  they  are  carrying  on  propaganda 
along  these  lines  which  is  far  in  advance  of  anything 
that  has  ever  before  existed.  And  all  of  this  makes 
for  the  possibility  of  the  rightful  consideration  of 


When  Shall  These  Things  Be?  295 

the  subject  of  birth  control  and  its  related  issues. 

And,  beyond  all  this,  many  of  the  public  schools 
of  the  United  States  now  include  the  study  of  sex 
hygiene  in  their  courses  of  study;  and  in  nearly  all 
the  higher  institutions  of  learning  of  the  country,  the 
colleges  and  universities,  education  in  matters  per- 
taining to  sex  is  a  part  of  the  regular  curriculum. 
It  is  true  that  none  of  these  means  for  the  dissemina- 
tion of  long  and  much  needed  sex-knowledge  have  as 
yet  gone  very  deeply  into  the  subject,  and  that  there 
is  much  left  for  them  to  do  before  they  reach  an 
efficiency  which  is  so  greatly  to  be  desired.  But  that 
they  have  made  the  beginning  which  they  have  is  in 
itself  most  significant,  and  that  they  will  continue  in 
the  good  way  they  have  started  to  travel  is  certain. 
Gradually  they  will  abandon  the  prudishness  and 
false-modesty  which  now  appear  in  much  of  their 
teaching,  and  with  the  passing  of  these  will  go  many 
errors  in  their  instruction  regarding  righteous  sex- 
functioning  and  its  rightful  place  in  the  economy  of 
normal  human  life. 

Many  of  these  new  and  favorable  conditions 
regarding  sex-knowledge  are  the  results  of  the  recent 
war,  which  has  done  much  toward  opening  the  eyes 
of  mankind  in  many  directions  where  heretofore  they 
saw  nothing.  Such  results  were  not  planned  for  nor 
provided  for,  but  they  have  arrived  in  spite  of  all 
opposition,  and  they  are  here  to  stay.  They  have 
also  opened  the  minds  of  the  multitudes  so  that  they 


296         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

are  now  prepared  to  study  and  consider  a  subject 
which  has,  heretofore,  always  been  taboo,  in  a  way 
which  is  decent  and  wholesome — in  a  way  never,  till 
just  now,  possible. 

And  so,  these  things  which  I  have  outlined  and 
plead  for  in  what  I  have  so  far  written,  will  gradually 
become  realities  as  new  social  conditions  are  intro- 
duced and  established  in  the  civic,  industrial  and 
religious  forms  of  community  life;  and  the  signs  of 
the  times  indicate  that  the  beginning,  at  least,  of 
such  new  order  of  things,  in  all  these  items,  are  not 
only  at  hand,  but  an  entire  change,  from  what  has 
been  to  what  may  be,  has  already  made  marked  and 
substantial  progress  towards  positive  fulfillment. 

These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  it  would  seem 
that  "now  is  the  accepted  time"  to  take  up  and 
master  the  matter  of  having  children  born  by  choice 
rather  than  by  chance,  and  of  bringing  the  whole 
item  of  sex-expression  in  the  human  species  up  out 
of  the  realm  of  mere  animality,  and  of  establishing 
it  upon  the  higher  and  holier  plane  of  the  Plus  of 
Humanity,  where  it  rightfully  and  righteously 
belongs.  The  world  has  waited  long  for  the  coming 
of  such  a  time,  but  it  has  not  waited  in  vain ;  for, 
even  now,  the  day  when  these  things  shall  be  is 
dawning.    Thanks  be ! 


CHAPTER  XV 

SOME    REASONS    WHY   WHAT    SHOULD    BE    WILL   BECOME 
WHAT  MUST   BE 

So  far  in  what  I  have  written,  I  have  spoken  of 
the  having  of  children  by  choice  rather  than  by 
chance  as  something  that  should  be.  In  this  chapter, 
I  shall  show  that  this  method  of  human  reproduction 
not  only  should  be,  but  that  it  must  be ;  and  that,  for 
this  cause,  it  some  day  will  be.  Some  of  my  reasons 
for  thinking  this  and  for  saying  this  are  as  follows : 

In  order  to  reach  the  conclusion  I  have  just 
announced,  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  a  long  way  back 
into  the  history  of  the  human  race;  indeed,  to  that 
far  time  when  man,  as  man,  began  to  be,  and  even 
farther  than  that,  and  to  consider  at  least  some  of 
the  ways  and  means  that  have  been  utilized  to  bring 
him  to  his  present  estate. 

And  the  first  item  to  note  in  such  reconnoiter  is 
the  fact  that  PROGRESS  has  alwai/s  been  a  covr 
stant  factor  in  the  successions  of  life-expressions 
which  have  appeared  vn  time  and  space.  In  other 
words,  the  records  of  the  workings  of  the  Life-Force 
in  this  world  as  these  appear,  seriatim,  establish  the 
fact  that  it  always  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  purpose 

297 


298         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

and  design  of  the  Powei  that  underlies  all  things,  and 
that  is  beneath  and  within  all  things,  to  continually 
make  the  good  better  and  cause  the  better  always 
to  move  toward  the  best.  This  is  the  basic  and 
supreme  law  of  all  life,  and  toward  its  constant  ful- 
fillment all  the  processes  of  nature  have  moved,  now 
move;  and  hence  we  believe  will  forever  continue  to 
move.  That  is,  life  is  eternal  progress.  Either  this 
is  true,  must  be  true,  or  else  this  old  cosmos  is  but  a 
jumble  of  chance  products,  a  chaos  of  happenings,  a 
lot  of  may-be-sos,  a  headless,  formless  and  meaning- 
less mass  of  nothings ! 

And  the  world  cannot  be  that.  Indeed,  we  know 
it  is  not  that,  by  the  records  of  life-advancements 
which  written  and  pre-historic  history  furnish  for 
man  to  read.  These  all  show  that  there  are  now 
higher  life-forms  than  there  were  aeons  ago,  and 
that  man  himself,  as  one  of  these  life-forms,  has 
advanced,  in  many  ways,  from  his  primitive  condi- 
tions to  his  present  attainments. 

And  this  means  that  the  world  is  now  really  better 
than  it  has  been.  No  sane  and  thoughtful  human 
being  can  deny  that  fact. 

And  if  this  is  so,  by  the  same  token  it  is  not  strain- 
ing a  point  to  conclude  that  what  has  been  will  be ; 
and  that  means  that  PROGRESS  can  always  be 
counted  on  as  a  con^tamt  factor  in  the  successions  of 
life-expressions  which  are  YET  TO  APPEAR  vn 
time  and  space. 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   299 

If  this  is  not  so,  life  is  not  worth  living — any  form 
of  it !  But  it  is  so,  and  so  life  is  worth  living — all 
forms  of  it ! 

True,  this  progress  has  not  always  been  of  equal 
speed  in  its  outworkings  and  varied  manifestations, 
nor  has  it  been  without  what  seemed,  for  the  time 
being,  positive  breaks  in  its  forward  march.  There 
have  been  occasions  when  the  wheels  of  advancement, 
in  all  forms  of  life-expression,  seemed  to  roll  back- 
ward, rather  than  forward,  even  to  the  extent  that, 
now  and  then,  it  might  truthfully  be  written  of  almost 
any  life-form  "the  last  estate  is  worse  than  the  first." 
But  from  all  such  retrogressions  Life  has  rallied, 
and  in  the  next  forward  movement  it  has  surpassed 
all  its  former  high-marks  of  achievement;  and  so, 
through  the  years,  the  total  acquirements  of  the 
varied  expressions  of  the  Life-Force,  as  a  whole, 
have  been  from  more  to  more,  from  the  good  to  the 
better,  and  from  the  better  ever  towards  the  best. 

Such  is  the  fundamental  principle  that  all  of 
Nature's  processes  are  based  upon,  and  upon  which 
they  all  work.  The  particular  one  of  these  work- 
ings-out that  we  have  to  deal  with  in  this  book,  is 
that  which  pertains  to  the  human  race ;  that  is,  the 
progress  of  mankmdy  from  its  simplest  beginnings  to 
its  present  estate,  and  from  there  on  to  its  possible 
future  attainments. 

Not  to  dogmatize  regarding  the  origin  of  the 
human  species,  as  to  how,  when  and  where  the  race 


300         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

began,  it  can  be  safely  asserted  that  from  all  the 
records  of  its  upward  journey  that  mankind  has  left 
in  time  and  space,  we  are  warranted  in  concluding 
that,  so  far  as  history  can  be  made  to  testify,  man 
began  in  a  very  low  estate;  and  that,  whether  he 
emerged  from  some  form  of  life  below  him  or  not, 
still,  this  is  true,  that  all  the  records  show  that  the 
early  types  of  the  race  were  of  a  very  brutal  nature, 
and  in  many  ways  but  little  above  the  other  forms 
of  animal  life  with  which  they  were  surrounded. 
That  is,  in  his  primitive  condition,  the  great  majority 
of  characteristics  which  man  possessed  were  animal 
rather  than  mental  or  spiritual;  and  the  mission  of 
the  Life-Force,  working  in  this  being,  has  always 
been  for  the  purpose  of  developing  in  him  a  pre- 
ponderance of  these  higher  qualities,  over  and  above 
those  of  the  grosser  elements  with  which  he  was 
primarily  endowed;  that  is,  to  add  to  his  lower 
nature  a  PLUS,  which  should  be  the  chief  character- 
istic of  his  humanity. 

This  is  a  somewhat  general  statement  of  the 
gradual  trend  and  progress  of  the  human  race  from 
its  lowest  to  its  highest  estates. 

And  in  all  of  man's  earlier  advancements,  and  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree  in  all  his  forward  movements 
thus  far,  the  impelling  force  that  has  moved  him  on 
and  up  has  been  a  compulsion  rather  than  an  attrac- 
tion! He  has  advanced  because  he  had  to  rather 
than  because  he  desired  to.     The  great  bulk  of  all 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   301 

that  primitive  man  did  was  the  result  of  instinct 
rather  than  of  any  other  incitement  to  action;  and, 
as  I  have  already  shown,  instinct's  only  method  of 
working  is  that  of  compulsion,  without  initiative, 
thought,  or  impulse  on  the  part  of  the  actor.  All 
life-forms  below  man  are  guided  and  controlled  by 
instinct  only,  and  instinct  never  causes  any  prog- 
ress whatever  on  the  part  of  the  being  through  which 
it  alone  acts. 

But  it  was  ordained  that  human  beings  should 
progress  into  a  new  and  a  higher  order  of  life-expres- 
sion, and  so  it  became  the  business  of  the  Life-Force 
to  move  man  up  out  of  the  instinctive  realm  in  which 
he,  for  the  most  part,  primitively  functioned,  into  a 
higher  condition  in  which  personal  initiative  should 
be  the  impelling  cause  for  his  acts,  and  his  own  will 
should  be  the  constant  main-spring  of  his  endeavors 
and  accomplishments. 

And  as  man  has  advanced  in  his  upward  path, 
there  has  been  a  constant  diminution  of  instinct  as 
the  impelling  force  for  his  activities,  and  a  corre- 
sponding and  continual  increase  in  initiative  ability 
on  his  own  part,  the  central  core  of  which  has  been 
his  own  independent  will,  manifesting  itself  in  the 
forms  of  impulse  and  intuition,  of  desire,  imagination 
and  ingenuity,  in  a  word,  in  The  Plus  of  Humanity ! 

Such  are  the  fundamental  principles  which  have 
obtained  in  the  human  uplift,  from  the  first  even 
until  now. 


303  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

Now  it  is  a  common  characteristic  of  all  life-forms 
that  the  lower  they  are  in  the  scale  of  existence  the 
more  insensate  they  are,  and  the  harder  it  is  to  stimu- 
late them  so  as  to  arouse  a  response  on  their  part. 
From  this  it  follows  that  the  cruder  the  life-form  the 
more  intense  must  be  the  stimulus  to  arouse  it  to 
action.  These  are  simple  and  well-known  facts,  but 
they  need  to  be  stated  just  here  to  introduce  the 
argument  we  are  now  entering  upon. 

And  to  make  this  situation  perhaps  still  clearer 
than  ever,  as  it  applies  to  human  beings,  let  us 
repeat  in  another  form,  before  we  go  on,  that  the 
problem  that  the  Life-Force  had  on  hand,  so  far  as 
man  was  concerned,  was  to  take  a  being  which  was 
primarily  moved  to  action  almost  entirely  by  mstvnct 
alone,  and  to  build  onto,  or  into  the  same,  such  facul- 
ties and  requirements  as  would  make  of  him  a  self- 
conscious,  self-inspiring,  self-directing,  self-directed 
and  self-acting  individuality !  I  take  it  that  this  is 
exactly  what  is  meant  by  the  words:  "And  God 
said :  Let  us  make  man  in  our  ottm  imager*  Because, 
self-consciousness,  self-inspiration,  self-direction, 
self-action — all  these  are,  must  be,  qualities  of  the 
Infinite  Source  of  All  Things ! 

And  so,  since  man,  as  really  man,  began  as,  for 
the  most  part,  chiefly  an  instinctive  being,  (Of 
course,  since  he  was  now  at  least  some  human  instead 
of  all  mere  brute, — for  it  was  this  added  something 
which  began  to  distinguish  him  from  the  forms  of 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   303 

life  below  him — he  had  in  his  make-up,  even  then,  at 
least  the  rudiments  of  the  higher  faculties  with  which 
he  was  in  time  to  be  more  fully  endowed)  it  was  by 
acting  on  these  minor  elements  of  his  nature  that  his 
progress  was  to  be  secured.  And  since  these  rudi- 
ments of  a  higher  form  of  life  were  but  crude  and 
undeveloped  beginnings,  they  could  only  be  appealed 
to  by  crude  stimuli  as  a  means  of  awakening  a 
response  on  the  part  of  their  possessor. 

And  so  it  was  that  the  Life-Force  brought  to  bear 
upon  primitive  man  such  crude  means  of  arousing 
his  attention  and  securing  his  initiative  activities  as 
war,  famine,  poverty,  pestilence,  disease  and  vice  in 
various  forms.  All  these  were  to  act,  and  did  act,  as 
stimuli  to  the  dormant  or  slightly  developed  faculties 
which  existed  in  the  earlier  forms  of  human  life.  And 
the  resistance  to  all  these  was  grounded  in  human 
selfishness!  It  was  from  such  gross  beginning  as 
unmixed  self-benefiting  that  the  highest  of  human 
altruisms  has  come !  Truly,  the  old  hymn  was  right, 
which  said: 

"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

I  need  not  go  into  extended  details  as  to  just  what 
each  or  all  of  these  crude  stimuli  have  done,  and,  in 
some  measure,  are  still  doing  for  mankind.  If  you 
will  stop  to  think  it  out,  you  can  discover  for  your- 
self what  these  are,  at  least  for  the  most  part.    And 


304         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

as  you  proceed  with  such  thinking,  you  will  see  that 
all  these  appeals  to  dense  humanity  came  to  him  in 
the  following  order,  namely,  desire^  imagination  and 
ingenuity,  I  suppose  that  behind  these  lay  impulse 
and  intuition,  which  are  the  primary  human  qualities 
which  were  the  basic  cause  of  strictly  human  activi- 
ties, as  distinguished  from  instinctive  activities.  But, 
with  the  implanting  in  a  life-form  of  impulse  and 
intuition  there  followed,  in  natural  sequence,  human 
activities  which  were  initiated  and  carried  forward 
at  the  behest  of  desire,  imagination  and  ingenuity. 
This  is  the  common  history  of  all  human  achieve- 
ments, of  all  human  progress.  And,  be  it  remem- 
bered that  mere  animals  have  none  of  these  qualities, 
as  such! 

And  so  it  is  that  war,  which  is  the  crudest  and 
grossest  of  all  these  forces  which  have  incited  man- 
kind to  actions  which  resulted  in  progress,  stimulated 
man  to  enlarge  the  sphere  of  his  influence  and  power 
and  to  gain  a  wider  sway  for  the  exploitation  of 
himself  and  his  belongings.  To  be  sure,  animals  had 
always  fought,  but  animal  fighting  is  one  thing  and 
war,  as  carried  on  by  human  beings,  is  quite  another 
thing!  All  animal  fighting  was  of  a  strictly  indi- 
vidual sort.  One  animal  fought  another  animal  for 
any  one  of  many  reasons.  More  than  this,  such 
methods  of  fighting  as  they  used  were  purely  instinc- 
tive. No  training  was  needed  for  their  acquirement, 
and  no  practice  improved  their  method  of  attack  or 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   305 

defense.  In  all  their  conflicts,  imagination  had  no 
part,  nor  did  ingemiitt/  in  any  way  add  to  their 
prestige. 

But  when  man  began  to  give  expression  to  the  war- 
like part  of  his  nature,  desire  forwarded  what  impulse 
had  started  within  him,  imagination  took  up  the  pos- 
sibilities involved,  and  ingenuity  set  itself  to  the  task 
of  successfully  working  out  what  its  predecessors 
had  brought  to  it  for  accomplishment.  And  so 
concerted  actions  were  devised,  a  manual  of  arms  was 
thought  out  and  formulated,  drill  was  inaugurated, 
discipline  was  maintained,  and  so  the  Art  of  war  was 
developed.  Animals  have  no  art  of  war!  It  was  a 
crude  form  of  the  plus  of  humanity,  resulting  from 
the  response  of  mankind  to  the  stimulus  of  war,  that 
produced  both  the  science  and  the  art  of  war,  which, 
low  down  as  they  are  in  the  scale  of  human  activities, 
have,  taken  as  a  whole,  tended  to  lift  man  from  the 
sphere  of  instinct  into  the  realm  of  a  higher  order 
of  action  based  upon  his  own  will  and  initiative! 
Grant  that  the  method  was  gross  and  harsh  and 
cruel,  still,  it  accomplished  what  it  was  set  to  do, 
and  who  shall  say  that  such  outcome  could  have 
been  realized  in  any  other  way.? 

Suppose  you  try  to  think  of  some  other  way  in 
which  it  might  have  been  realized — of  some  other 
way  of  raising  a  nearly  mindless  and  almost  wholly 
instinctive  being  into  a  condition  in  which  he  would 
be  a  rational  personality,  acting  on  his  own  initia- 


306         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

tive,  and  producing  results  which  were  solely  the 
product  of  his  own  activities.  Do  not  devise  miracles 
for  bringing  such  a  change  about,  for  such  have  no 
place  in  Nature's  economies ;  but  see  if  you  can  think 
of  any  other  way  than  the  one  the  Life-Force  has 
used  at  the  hands  of  war,  for  producing  the  results 
in  humanity  which  war  has  brought  about ! 

Now,  this  is  not  deifying  war,  nor  claiming*that, 
since  it  has  done  so  much  for  the  human  race,  it 
should  always  remain  as  a  factor  for  the  advance- 
ment of  mankind.  It  is  only  saying  that,  when  man 
was  in  his  primitive  and  low  estate,  this  crude  means 
for  raising  him  to  a  higher  life-level,  did  work  the 
transformation!  That's  all!  It  was  an  instrument 
in  the  order  of  man's  evolution  for  increasing  in  him 
the  Plus  of  Humanity  which  was  destined  to  become 
the  chief  characteristic  of  his  human  nature.  So 
much  for  war  as  a  stimulant  to  progress  on  the  part 
of  primitive  man. 

In  the  same  general  line  of  crude  and  gross  stimuli 
which  were  used  to  arouse  primitive  man  from  his 
insensate  condition  of  almost  entire  animality,  and 
to  set  his  feet  on  the  upward  path  of  human  prog- 
ress, mental  and  spiritual,  which  developed  the  Plus 
of  Humanity  in  him,  come  famine,  poverty,  pesti- 
lence, disease,  vice,  and  other  life-opposing  forces 
whose  overcoming  tended  to  develop  in  the  over- 
comers  higher  and  more  worthy  life-attainments. 
I  need  not  trace,  in  detail,  just  what  each  of  these 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   307 

stimulants  to  mankind  did  for  human  advancement. 
Enough  for  the  argument  that  they  all  were  utilized 
as  means  for  pushing,  or  forcing,  if  you  will,  indi- 
viduals and  the  race  as  a  whole,  from  a  lower  to  a 
higher  condition  of  life.  That  much  is  certain,  and 
that  much  is  sufficient  for  the  present  presentment. 
That  is,  it  took  "hard  knocks"  to  arouse  the  primi- 
tive man  from  his  early  conditions,  and  to  develop  in 
him  a  plus  of  humanity.  Let  that  part  of  the  argu- 
ment rest  just  here  for  the  moment. 

The  next  item  to  notice  in  what  we  are  now  trying 
to  get  at  is  the  fact  that  it  is  a  great  and  funda- 
mental law  of  nature  that  any  and  every  species  of 
life-forms  will  multiply  beyond  the  limits  of  its 
possible  food  supply  tmless  its  surplus  is  in  some  way 
checked! 

Now,  there  is  no  exception  to  this  law !  It  applies 
to  all  life-forms  which  have  ever  appeared  in  time 
and  space,  and  it  is  Nature's  way  of  doing  things, 
from  which  there  is  no  appeal  or  escape.  Drive 
another  peg  there,  and  drive  it  so  deep  that  it  will 
never  pull  up ! 

The  Scientists'  way  of  accounting  for  this  state  of 
things  is,  that  Nature,  in  order  to  make  sure  of  the 
persistence  of  each  and  every  species,  always  pro- 
duces a  surplus  of  the  individuals  composing  that 
form  of  life,  and  then,  not  to  permit  that  surplus  to 
go  to  such  extreme  that  it  will  result  in  defeating  its 
own  object,  by  becoming  so  numerous  that  it  will 


308          Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

entirely  exhaust  the  food  supply  of  the  entire  species, 
it  provides  "checks"  for  this  over-supply,  which 
destroy  enough  of  the  individuals  to  keep  the  total 
of  the  species  within  the  limits  of  its  means  of  subsist- 
ence. This  is  another  illustration  of  the  "prodi- 
gality of  Nature"  which  we  saw  manifest  in  our  study 
of  the  germ-cells  which  appear  in  such  unlimited 
supply  in  the  reproduction  of  life-forms  of  all  sorts. 
This  surplus  of  cells  we  noted  were  destroyed  in 
many  ways,  and  so  were  rendered  useless  before  they 
could  be  utilized ;  and  we  also  saw  that  if  they  were 
all  utilized,  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the 
amount  of  what  they  would  produce.  If  every  apple 
blossom  developed  into  a  full-grown  apple,  every 
apple-tree  of  any  considerable  size  would  produce  a 
car-load  of  apples !  If  all  the  eggs  which  all  the  fishes 
lay  were  hatched,  and  if  all  that  were  hatched  grew 
to  maturity,  the  ocean  itself  would  be  stiff  with  fish 
in  a  single  year,  and  there  would  be  no  water  to  sail 
on  or  in !  And  what  is  true  in  these  cases  is  corre- 
spondingly true  in  all  cases  of  the  reproduction  of 
life-forms,  in  any  and  all  species. 

And  so  it  is  that  Nature  provides  "checks'*  which 
dispose  of  all  "surpluses"  and  so  keep  the  prodigality 
of  Nature  from  defeating  its  own  ends.  These  are 
all  well-known  facts ;  but  they  have  to  be  built  into 
our  argument  to  make  it  invincible,  in  and  of  itself. 

Now,  the  human  species  is  no  exception  to  this 
universal  law!     We  have  seen  what  a   surplus   of 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   309 

human  germ-cells  are  produced,  as  compared  with 
the  number  which  are  really  utilized.  And  it  is  surely 
a  self-evident  fact  that,  if  every  one  of  these  human 
germ-cells  developed  into  a  full-grown  man  or  woman, 
the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  product  of  even 
a  single  generation!  And  so  the  surplus  of  human 
germ-cells  is  "checked,"  that  is,  they  are  not  per- 
mitted to  mature  to  the  full  extent  of  their  primal 
and  inherent  possibilities ! 

And,  by  the  same  token,  if  all  the  children  who 
are  bom  into  this  world  grew  to  maturity,  the  world 
would  very  soon  be  vastly  over-populated. 

All  we  have  to  do  to  verify  the  truth  of  these  state- 
ments is  to  use  a  little  mathematics  on  the  proposi- 
tion, and  the  whole  thing  will  be  clearly  demon- 
strated, beyond  all  controversy.  For  instance,  count 
that  the  population  of  any  country,  or  of  the  world, 
if  left  unchecked,  will  double  itself  every  fifty  years, 
and  then  realize  the  certainty  that  it  is  many 
thousands  of  years  since  man  first  appeared  in  the 
world,  and  see  what  soon  comes  from  such  figuring! 
I'll  not  take  the  time  to  work  this  problem  out  for 
you,  for  3"ou  can  do  it  as  well  as  I  can.  Besides,  if 
you  will  work  it  out  for  yourself  you  will  have  a  far 
better  realizing  sense  of  the  actual  force  of  the  figures 
than  you  would  have  if  I  should  do  the  work  for  you. 

But  I  need  not  argue  this  point  further,  just  here. 
Its  truth  is  so  easily  verified  that  it  is  almost  self- 
evident.     And  the  truth  is  that,  were  it  not  for 


310         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

"checks,"  of  some  sort,  the  human  species  would  long 
since  have  become  so  numerous  that  the  world  itself 
could  not  contain  it.  And  so  it  turns  out  that  there 
must  have  been  "checks"  upon  the  surplus  of  the 
human  species  in  the  past,  or  the  world  of  today 
would  not  be  a  possibility,  so  far  as  its  present 
population  is  concerned.  This  is  an  undeniable  fact. 
Count  it  as  such,  and  see  what  follows — must  follow! 

Now,  when  we  come  to  look  for  the  "checks"  which 
have  removed  the  surplus  of  the  human  species,  we 
find  the  chief  of  these  to  have  been  war,  famine, 
poverty,  pestilence,  disease  and  vice.  Tliere  have 
been  some  other  "checks,"  it  is  true,  but  they  are 
really  of  minor  importance  when  compared  with 
these  six  great  deterrents  for  the  increase  of  the 
human  species.  It  is  these  six  which  have  been  in 
evidence  as  the  wholesale  reducers  of  the  human 
surplus,  ever  since  the  race  began!  This  is  another 
almost  self-evident  proposition. 

And  now  here  is  a  most  remarkable  fact,  namely, 
that  these  six  great  checks  upon  the  human  surplus 
are  the  very  same  means  which  were  used  by  the 
Life-Force  to  stimulate  man  in  his  primal  insensate 
condition,  and  to  force  him  up  and  into  a  higher 
state  of  being  and  existence.  And  this  might  well 
be  noted  as  an  instance  of  the  Economy  of  Nature, 
which  thus  uses  one  and  the  same  means  for  the 
accomplishment  of  double  and  different  results!  A 
wonderful  thing  is  Nature,  or  the  Life-Force ! 


What  Should  Be  Will  Becorne  What  Must  Be  311 

With  these  points  established,  here  is  one  more  to 
consider  as  immediately  related  to  them,  as  follows: 
As  already  suggested,  it  is  a  principle  in  the  working 
of  the  Life-Force  that  the  grosser  the  material  in 
which  it  works,  the  harsher  the  measures  it  must  use 
to  produce  desired  results.  And,  per  contra,  the 
finer  and  more  subtle  the  medium  it  has  to  manipu- 
late, the  more  delicate  the  means  it  utilizes  to  obtain 
its  objects.  In  other  words,  compulsion  is  the  basis 
of  progress  for  all  crude  forms  of  life ;  invitation  is 
the  power  that  lures  men  on  when  they  have  become 
sensitive  enough  to  be  subject  to  its  gracious  influ- 
ences. The  force  that  is  behind  the  material  world 
and  which  makes  it  move  on  is  the  "big  stick!"  In 
the  higher  realms  of  life,  "the  spirit  beckons !"  Thfe 
law  of  the  animal  man  is  "go !"  The  principle  that 
animates  all  the  Plus  in  humanity  is  "come!"  And 
there  is  all  the  diiference  between  heaven  and  hell  in 
those  two  words,  if  an  attempt  is  made  to  use  them 
in  other  realms  than  those  in  which  they  rightly 
belong.  If  you  say  "come,"  and  only  that,  to  the 
animal  man,  you  "cast  pearls  before  swine,  and  they 
will  trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again 
and  rend  you!"  (What  wonderfully  true  sayings 
there  are  in  the  Old  Book !)  If  you  say  "go,"  and 
only  that,  to  all  that  is  plus  in  humanity,  you  act 
the  part  of  "a  bull  in  a  china  shop,"  and  nothing  but 
the  most  lamentable  ruin  can  result  from  your  so 
doing ! 


313  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

And  so  it  is  that,  as  man  has  risen  in  the  scale  of 
being,  has  come  up  out  of  the  realm  of  brutality  and 
entered  into  the  sphere  of  mentality  and  spirituality, 
that  is,  into  the  plus  of  humanity,  there  has  been 
less  and  less  need  of  using  the  "big  stick"  to  insure 
his  progress,  and  more  and  more  opportunity  for 
love  to  lure  him  on !  This  is  another  fundamentfid 
law  of  Nature — of  the  Life-Force ! 

All  of  which,  of  course,  means  that,  as  man  has 
advanced  in  the  scale  of  being,  the  less  and  less  has 
been  the  need  of  the  use  of  compulsion  to  secure  his 
progress,  and  the  more  and  more  he  has  been  able  to 
move  on  and  up  of  his  own  volition — impelled  by  his 
own  power  of  choice! 

And  so  it  is  an  actual  fact  that  the  compelling 
forces  which  were  brought  to  bear  upon  the  primitive 
man  to  insure  his  progress  are  growing  less  and  less 
needed  to  secure  the  results  which  they  alone  could 
produce  under  man's  earliest  conditions !  These  com- 
pelling forces,  as  we  have  already  seen,  were  war, 
famine,  poverty,  pestilence,  disease  and  vice.  And 
just  so  soon  as  these  have  forced  mankind  up  into  a 
sphere  of  life  where  their  influence  is  no  longer 
needed,  just  so  soon  can  they  be  eliminated,  or 
excused  from  further  service  as  factors  in  the  prog- 
ress of  the  human  race ! 

This  is  the  real  reason  why  war  is  fast  coming  to 
an  end  in  this  world ;  why  famine  is  now  practically 
impossible  in  any  part  of  the  globe ;  why  poverty  is 


Whut  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   313 

gradually,  but  certainly,  disappearing  (and  bound 
to  more  and  more  disappear,  as  time  goes  on!)  ;  why 
pestilence  is  fast  being  swept  out  of  existence;  why 
disease  is  more  and  more  yielding  to  control ;  and  why 
vice  is  steadily  being  exterminated  as  a  factor  in  the 
needs  of  mankind !  ( Now,  don't  insist  that  I  prove, 
by  statistics,  that  all  these  things  are  as  I  have  just 
stated  them.  You  know  how  they  are  as  well  as  I 
do;  and  unless  you  are  a  determined  and  chronic 
pessimist  you  know  that  they  are  as  I  have  said. 
And  if  you  are  just  that,  it  is  no  use  to  try  to  prove 
to  you  what  you  would  not  accept,  though  one  rose 
from  the  dead  to  clinch  the  demonstration!  As 
Whitman  says :  "I  am  not  saying  these  things  for  a 
dollar,  nor  to  fill  up  time  while  I  wait  for  a  boat* 
It  is  you  talking,  just  as  much  as  myself.  I  act  as 
the  tongue  of  you.  Tied  in  your  mouth,  in  mine  it 
begins  to  be  loosened.") 

But  now,  note  this :  Though  man  has  undoubtedly 
moved  on  and  up  in  the  scale  of  being,  and  has,  in 
large  measure,  entered  into  the  realm  of  the  Plus  of 
Humanity ;  still,  the  physical  possibilities  for  repro- 
duction in  the  race  remain  as  they  were,  and  there  is 
just  as  great  a  prodigality  of  Nature  in  these 
particulars  now  as  there  ever  was!  The  men  and 
women  of  today  produce  just  as  many  human  germ- 
cells  as  any  men  and  women  ever  did;  and  unless 
there  is  some  ^' check''  put  upon  the  efficiency  of  these, 
there  is  liable  to  be  a  greater  surplus  of  human 


314          CJiUdren  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

beings  bom  under  this  new  order  of  things  than  under 
the  old  regime!  And  this  means  that,  if  all  the  old 
"checks"  are  gone,  some  other  which  will  do  the  work 
they  did  must  take  their  places  or  disastrous  results 
are  bound  to  follow ! 

For,  be  it  always  remembered,  the  law  which 
always  provides  for  a  possible  surplus  in  all  species 
has  never  been  repealed,  and  never  will  be  repealed ! 
And,  since  this  is  so,  it  creates  a  condition  which  must 
always  be  provided  for,  in  one  way  or  another.  The 
old  ways  of  so  providing  are  past,  or  fast  passing; 
and  it  inevitably  follows  that  some  other  way  must  be 
established  in  its  stead,  or  the  new  order  will  be  worse 
than  the  old!  I  can  find  no  way  of  escaping  this 
conclusion!    Can  you? 

Which  things  being  so,  what  is  clearer,  what  can 
be  clearer,  than  that  this  new  "check"  upon  the 
human  surplus  must  be  the  human  will — the 
deliberate  power  of  choice  on  the  part  of  the  beings 
whose  welfare  and  conditionings  are  now  placed  in 
their  own  hands,  to  be  manipulated  and  directed 
as  they  desire,  rather  than  as  they  are  compelled  to 
accept?  In  all  other  realms  of  life  where  primal 
conditions  have  been  supplanted  by  more  delicate 
means  of  producing  desired  results,  it  is  the  human 
will,  acting  through  desire,  imagination  and  inge- 
nuity, which  has  been  installed  .as  the  acting  force  in 
the  premises.  And  if  so  there,  why  not  here?  I 
ask  why? 


What  Shotdd  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be    315 

If  there  is  any  other  reasonable  or  rational  answer 
to  this  question  than  the  one  I  have  proposed,  I 
should  be  glad  to  be  told  what  it  is !  Have  you  one 
in  hand?  I  doubt  it!  And  if  you  have  not,  what 
follows  ?    Think  this  through !   • 

Now  I  am  well  aware  that  much  of  what  I  have 
said  so  far  in  this  chapter  is  not  at  all  new.  Others 
have  said  the  same  things,  in  various  ways,  for  many 
years.  And  because  they  have  done  so,  and  there 
have  been  varied  opinions  about  what  they  have 
said,  I  consider  it  worth  while,  and  indeed  practically 
necessary,  that  I  review,  somewhat  briefly,  what  they 
have  said,  and  the  different  things  that  have  been 
said  about  these  sayings  and  believings. 

The  chief  of  all  these  sayers  was  an  English  clergy- 
man. Rev.  T.  R.  Malthus,  by  name,  who  lived  and 
wrote  upon  this  subject  something  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  ago.  He  was  a  thoughtful  man,  and  a 
reasoner  of  rare  ability,  at  least  so  far  as  cause  and 
eff^ect  were  concerned  regarding  what  he  wrote  about. 
When  it  came  to  remedying  aff^airs  that  needed 
betterment,  it  must  be  confessed  he  was  not  a  great 
success.  But  one  thing  he  surely  did,  and  that  was 
to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  nature  always 
provides  a  surplus  in  every  species  of  life,  and  that 
such  surplus  must  be  checked,  in  some  way,  or 
disastrous  results  are  bound  to  follow. 

The  chief  thing  that  Malthus  did  was  to  put  the 
whole  proposition  he  discussed  into  a  very  terse  and 


316         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

telling  mathematical  formula,  as  follows:  The 
natural  increase  in  any  species  is  according  to  the 
law  of  geometrical  progression,  while  the  possible 
increase  in  food  supply  can  only  be  made  according 
to  the  law  of  arithmetical  progression.  That  is  a 
fine  scientific  way  of  stating  the  situation ;  but,  like 
all  mathematical  propositions,  it  needs  demonstra- 
tion; and  the  case  it  presents  is  so  important  as  it 
stands  related  to  what  I  am  considering  in  this 
chapter,  that  I  want  to  make  it  clear  to  every  one  of 
my  readers.  Besides  this,  experience  has  taught  me 
that  the  great  majority  of  people  have  forgotten 
most  of  the  mathematics  they  ever  knew;  and  so,  if 
they  are  to  get  a  full  comprehension  of  the  point  I 
am  now  making,  it  would  have  to  be  only  after  look- 
ing the  matter  up,  and  that,  i^ery  few  of  them  would 
take  the  time  and  trouble  to  do.  And  so,  if  I  am  to 
get  results  (and  I  want  to  do  just  that)  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  work  out  the  demonstration,  to  a  degree, 
at  least,  right  here  and  now.  Let  us  proceed  to  do 
this,  as  follows: 

The  law  of  geometrical  progression  requires  a 
regular  increase  in  a  series  of  numbers  by  multiplying 
each  number  in  the  series,  beginning  with  the  first, 
by  the  same  multiplier.  That  is,  suppose  we  start 
with  the  number  2,  and  increase  it  according  to  the 
law  of  geometric  progression  by  multiplying  it,  and 
the  products  whicli  would  result  from  such  multipli- 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   317 

cation,  In  turn,  by  2.  If  we  do  this,  we  shall  have  a 
series,  as  follows :  2,  4,  8,  16,  32,  64,  128,  256,  and 
so  on,  as  far  as  we  care  to  carry  the  figures. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  law  of  arithmetical  pro- 
gression requires  that  a  series  of  numbers  be  increased 
by  the  addition  of  the  same  number  to  each  term  in 
the  series,  beginning  with  the  first.  That  is,  if  we 
start  with  the  number  2,  and  use  the  number  2  as  the 
constant  number  to  be  added  to  make  a  mathemati- 
cally progressive  series,  we  shall  have,  for  such  series, 
2,  4,  6,  8,  10,  12,  14,  16,  and  so  on,  as  far  as  we  care 
to  go.  I  think  this  will  make  it  clear  to  you  exactly 
what  is  meant  by  geometrical  progression,  and  what 
by  arithmetical  progression.  The  first  increases  by 
multiplying  by  a  constant  number;  the  second  by  the 
addition  of  a  constant  number. 

Now,  if  we  understand  this,  let  us  see  how  it  works 
out  in  the  demonstration  of  the  proposition  laid 
down  by  Malthus.  He  says  that  the  law  of  increase 
of  population  (for  we  need  consider  only  the  human 
species  in  his  demonstration,  though  the  principle 
applies  to  any  and  all  species  with  equal  force  as 
well)  is  that  of  geometric  progression,  while  that  of 
food  supply  is  in  arithmetical  progression.  That  is, 
if  we  start  with  2  people,  the  law  of  their  natural 
increase,  from  generation  to  generation,  would  pro- 
duce results  as  follows,  provided  each  generation 
doubled,  as  each  came  on,  in  turn:     First  genera- 


818         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

tion  2;  2nd,  4;  3rd,  8;  4th,  16;  5th,  32;  6th,  64; 
7th,  128;  8th,  256;  and  so  on,  as  far  as  we  care 
to  go. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  food  supply,  on  a  given 
and  constant  area,  would  only  increase  for  such  pop- 
ulation by  adding  the  same  amount  of  possible  prod- 
uct by  one  generation  to  that  produced  by  the  gen- 
eration following  it,  as  follows:  Food-supply  for 
first  generation  2.  For  2nd,  4 ;  3rd,  6 ;  4th,  8 ;  6th, 
10;  6th,  12;  7th,  14;  8th,  16,  etc. 

Putting  these  two  computations  together,  it  ap- 
pears as  clear  as  daylight  that,  beginning  with  2 
people,  at  the  end  of  the  8th  generation  we  should 
have  a  population  of  256  from  such  origin ;  while,  if 
all  these  people  lived  on  the  same  area  of  land  that 
their  progenitors  occupied,  their  food  supply  would 
be  sufficient  for  but  16  of  the  256!  And  that  is 
something  to  think  about !  It  is  what  Mr.  Malthus 
asked  folks  to  think  about.  Some  have  done  so; 
others  have  not.  But  that  all  will  have  to  think 
about  it  some  time  is  as  sure  as  sunrise.  Some  fig- 
ures may  be  made  to  lie,  but  these  are  made  to  tell 
the  truth !  And  they  tell  it,  all  right,  whether  man 
hear  or  whether  they  forbear! 

This  matter  is  so  important  to  the  items  involved 
in  the  issues  we  are  considering  in  this  chapter,  that 
I  want  to  look  at  it  from  one  more  angle,  which  is  a 
bit  more  concrete  than  the  one  just  used,  and  so 
may  prove  more  forcible  to  some  of  my  readers : 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be    319 

Suppose  that,  at  some  given  time,  100  people  were 
living  on  a  square  mile  of  land,  somewhere  in  the 
world,  and  that  it  was  ordained  that  their  descend- 
ants shall  be  confined  to  this  ^ea  for  six  succeed- 
ing generations.  (England  had  an  average  of  over 
600  people  to  each  square  mile  of  her  area  when  the 
world-war  broke  out.)  Suppose  that  this  square 
mile  was  fertile  enough  to  furnish  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  food  for  these  100  people,  who  would  all  to- 
gether require  about  40  tons  of  edibles  each  year 
to  meet  their  needs.  This  would  give,  each  inhab- 
itant about  two-and-one-half  pounds  of  food  daily, 
which  is  a  little  more  than  the  average  daily  ration 
for  a  soldier. 

Suppose,  next,  that  the  average  number  of  years 
for  a  generation  of  these  people  was  thirty-three 
years,  and  that  their  increase,  and  their  food-supply 
were  according  to  the  laws  we  have  already  noted. 
This  would  mean  that,  at  the  end  of  the  first  genera- 
tion, there  would  be  200  people  living  on  this  square 
mile,  which  would  then  have  to  produce  80  tons  of 
food  to  meet  their  needs.  At  the  end  of  100  years 
there  would  be  800  people  on  this  square  mile,  which 
would  then  produce  only  160  tons  of  food,  instead 
of  320  tons  which  would  be  required  to  feed  these 
folks  as  their  great-grandfathers  were  fed.  That 
is,  these  800  people  would  be  cut  down  to  one-half 
the  rations  which  their  ancestors  lived  on.  And  un- 
der the  action  of  these  same  laws,  at  the  end  of  200 


320         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

years,  there  would  be  3,200  people  on  this  square 
mile,  while  the  total  product  of  this  area  could  only 
produce  enough  to  give  each  inhabitant  75  pounds  of 
food  a  year,  as  against  800  pounds  each,  for  the 
first  generation!  And  it  is  easy  to  see  that  they 
would  all  starve  to  death,  under  such  conditions ! 

To  be  sure,  this  is  a  supposed  case,  and  the  like 
of  it  has  never  practically  existed.  Still,  it  is  but 
a  truthful  demonstration  of  a  principle  which  is  un- 
deniably true,  and  which  must  and  will  eventually 
work  out  as  here  depicted,  if  left  to  act  according 
to  its  own  intrinsic  qualities.  As  a  quite  definite 
proof  of  this,  note  the  following: 

Mai  thus  lived  just  about  100  years  ago.  At  the 
time  he  wrote,  the  British  Islands  had  a  population 
of  about  11,000,000.  He  said  that,  while  33  years 
were  counted  as  a  generation,  or  the  time  in  which 
any  given  population  would  double  itself  (as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  in  the  early  history  of  New  England 
the  population  doubled  in  18  years,  from  the  excess 
of  births  over  deaths;  and  there  have  been  other 
colonies  which  have  nearly  equaled  this  ratio  of  in- 
crease in  their  beginning  years),  yet  he  would  allow 
50  years  for  the  doubling  of  the  population  in  these 
islands,  or  that  they  would  double  their  number  of 
inhabitants  twice  in  the  first  100  years  after  he 
wrote.  This  calculation  would  give  these  Islands 
a  population  of  44,000,000  at  this  time,  according 
to  his  figures.     The  last  census  of  the  British  Isles, 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   321 

taken  shortly  before  the  war,  gave  their  total  pop- 
ulation at  about  45,000,000,  which  shows  that  Mal- 
thus  was  not  far  wrong  in  his  estimate. 

But,  to  feed  these  people  whose  number  is  four 
times  as  great  as  it  was  a  century  ago,  there  was 
only  two-and-one-half  times  as  much  food  available, 
produced  on  its  own  territory,  as  there  was  one 
hundred  years  before.     And  this  means  much! 

Meantime,  be  it  remembered  that,  during  all  this 
century,  war  was  still  in  evidence  as  a  "check"  upon 
the  increase  of  population  in  these  islands,  and  for 
much  of  the  time  it  was  grimly  so !  I  need  not  en- 
large on  this  fact.  Its  history  is  so  recent  that 
every  school  child  knows  it !  The  Irish  famine  is 
also  included  in  this  period;  while  the  poverty  that 
held  sway  during  many  of  these  years,  in  many  parts 
of  this  domain,  was  of  a  most  destructive  nature. 
More  than  once,  also,  during  this  century,  pestilence 
visited  this  locality,  causing  the  deaths  of  many 
thousands  of  its  inhabitants ;  diseases,  many  of  them 
of  a  most  malignant  type,  were  widespread,  during 
all  this  period,  and  vice,  in  its  varied  and  virulent 
forms,  took  a  tremendous  toll  of  human  lives  as  these 
hundred  years  went  by.  All  these  were  *'checks" 
upon  the  increase  of  the  population  of  the  British 
Isles  during  all  this  time,  and  yet,  it  was  multiplied 
by  four  during  this  century.  The  item  to  consider 
is,  what  would  the  population  of  this  area  have  been 
had  these  "checks"  been  much  less  than  they  were. 


322         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

or  even  if  some  of  them  had  been  entirely  removed? 
And  yet,  as  these  matters  are  today,  all  these 
"checks"  are  far  less  potent  than  they  were  a  cen- 
tury ago,  and  they  arc  all  growing  less  and  less  de- 
structive with  every  passing  year!  True,  war  is 
not,  as  yet,  entirely  gone,  but  the  probabilities  all 
are  that  it  is  far  nearer  the  vanishing  point  than 
it  has  ever  been  in  all  the  world's  history,  and  the 
chances  are  many  to  one  that  it  will  never  again 
rage  as  it  has  from  the  beginning  until  now.  And 
with  the  present  means  of  transportation,  which  are 
constantly  growing  more  and  more  efficient,  famine 
is  now  almost  an  impossibility  even  in  any  remote 
corner  of  the  earth.  Mr.  Hoover  has  taught  an  un- 
forgettable lesson  in  this  regard.  New  social  and 
industrial  adjustments  and  regulations  are  making 
poverty  less  and  less  common  tlian  it  formerly  was. 
Pestilence  is  now  a  far  less  drastic  destroyer  than  it 
has  ever  been.  Science  is  doing  wonders  in  perfect- 
ing the  healing  arts  which  are  steadily  reducing  tlie 
death  rate  from  disease;  and  vice  is  in  many  ways 
reduced  as  a  destructive  force  in  human  society. 
These  are  all  patent  facts  to  all  who  have  eyes  to  see 
things  as  they  really  are.  And  all  of  this  means 
that  the  "checks"  which  were  once  efficient  in  keep- 
ing down  the  surplus  of  the  human  species  are  not 
as  potent  in  doing  that  work  as  they  once  were,  and 
that  they  are  all  growing  less  and  less  so,  every 
day.     This  is  so  true  that,  for  the  last  half  century, 


What  SJioiUd  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be  323 

there  has  been  an  increase  of  three  years  in  the  aver- 
age lifetime  of  human  beings,  take  the  world  as  a 
whole.  So  much  is  certain,  and  so  much  is  enough 
for  the  argument  we  are  following  now. 

But  the  fundamental  possibilities  for  race  surplus 
in  the  human  species  are  as  great  as  ever;  indeed, 
greater,  unless  some  other  check  or  checks  are  in- 
augurated to  take  the  place  of  those  which  have 
lost  their  original  potency.  So  much  is  beyond 
(Tispute.  And  yet  there  have  been,  and  still  are, 
those  who  ignore  or  dispute  this  most  evident  situ- 
ation; and  to  these,  at  least,  some  attention  must 
be  given,  some  answer  must  be  made,  and  hence  what 
follows : 

The  simplest  of  all  these  are  not  worthy  the  name 
of  antagonists.  They  do  not  oppose ;  they  only  ig- 
nore. They  pooh-pooh  the  whole  proposition,  and 
side-step  the  entire  affair.  They  say:  "Why  fret.? 
There  always  has  been  enough  on  the  earth  for  all 
the  people  who  were  alive  on  it,  at  any  one  time, 
and  so  there  always  will  be !  And,  anyhow,  if  there 
ever  is  trouble  on  this  score,  we  shan't  be  here  to 
sufFer  from  it !  So  let  'er  roll !"  And  these  are  not 
worth  replying  to.     Let  them  alone! 

Mr.  Malthus  himself  met  the  situation  something 
as  follows :  Although  he  did  not  say  so  in  so  man5^ 
words,  he  led  his  readers  to  infer  that  the  six 
"checks"  to  the  surplus  in  the  human  species, 
namely,  war,  famine,  poverty,  pestilence,  disease  and 


324  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

vice,  were  God-ordained,  and  that,  as  such,  they 
should  not  be  "meddled  with"!  (Same  old  story!) 
And,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  many  a  philantliropic  move 
whose  aim  was  the  betterment  of  mankind  in  Eng- 
land has  been  thwarted  by  adherents  to  the  theory 
that  it  would  be  "contrary  to  Nature"  to  thus  pre- 
vent the  necessary  elimination  of  a  human  surplus 
which  must  be  disposed  of  in  some  way !     Fact ! 

As  for  Malthus  himself,  he  proposed  one  more 
"check,"  as  follows:  He  urged  the  regulation  df 
marriage  by  law,  to  the  effect  that  none  should  be 
permitted  to  marry  unless  they  could  show  that  they 
were  possessed  of  property  enough  to  take  good  care 
of  any  children  they  might  have;  and  that  all  mar- 
riages should  be  postponed  till  such  time  as  would 
make  it  impossible  for  any  couple  to  have  more  than 
a  limited  number  of  children.  He  would  have  both 
grooms  and  brides  at  least  thirty-five  years  old  be- 
fore they  went  to  the  altar,  or  even  older  than  this, 
when  possible!  Meantime,  he  insists  that  all  these 
people  should  live  absolutely  "continent  lives." 
With  this  addition  to  the  other  six  "checks,"  he 
was  confident  the  world  would  never  become  over- 
populated.  And  I  don't  see  the  need  of  making  any 
answer  to  that !     Do  you  ? 

Other  opposers  of  the  possible-surplus  theory 
have  held  that  Nature's  resources  are  inexhaustible ; 
that  it  has  never  yet  been  demonstrated  how  pro- 
ductive the  earth  can  be  made;  that  if  population 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   325 

is  too  crowded  in  some  places  the  surplus  can  go 
somewhere  else;  that  discoveries  may  yet  be  made 
whereby  food  may  be  chemically  made  from  the  air ; 
and,  in  any  event,  there  is  no  need  of  crossing  a 
stream  till  one  gets  to  it,  etc.,  etc.  These  would 
remove  the  "checks"  which  have  so  far  been  in  evi- 
dence where  possible;  but  they  would  set  up  none 
in  their  place,  and  trust  to  luck,  or  ingenuity,  to 
avoid  troublesome  complications. 

These  may  be  replied  to,  as  follows:  If  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  were  not  a  limited  area,  their  the- 
ory might  hold.  But  it  is  limited;  and  because  it 
is,  even  though  it  might  be  possible  to  feed  the  whole 
human  race  from  the  air,  without  money  and  with- 
out price,  yet  it  would  be  only  a  matter  of  time  till 
there  would  not  be  even  "standing  room  only"  on 
this  old  globe  for  the  billions  of  its  inhabitants  who 
would  have  need  for  a  "place  in  the  sun,"  if  they 
could  be  fed  and  clothed  free  of  charge!  This  is 
merely  a  mathematical  certainty  which  is  so  simple 
that  I  need  not  figure  it  out  for  you.  You  can 
easily  think  it  out  for  yourself.  Meantime,  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  world's  latest  and  greatest  war  was  caused 
chiefly,  or  in  a  large  measure,  at  least,  by  a  pres- 
sure of  population,  real  and  prospective,  something 
as  follows: 

With  a  scientific  foresight  which  Germany  pos- 
sessed beyond  all  other  nations,  her  rulers  saw  that 


326         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

it  was  inevitable  that  she  must  have  more  room  for 
her  rapidly  increasing  population,  or  there  would 
be  insurmountable  troubles  ahead,  and  this  she  pro- 
posed to  have,  come  what  might  from  such  action. 
To  this  end,  she  took  no  thought  of  trying  to  limit 
her  surplus  of  births,  but  sought  rather  to  stimu- 
late to  its  utmost  of  production  this  factor  in  her 
problem.  With  her  totally  materialistic  view  of 
the  method  and  mission  of  all  life,  she  espoused  the 
principle  of  the  "Survival  of  the  Fittest"  as  the 
only  efficient  cause  of  all  progress,  human  or  other- 
wise; and  this  she  translated  into  the  pliilosophy  of 
"Might  Makes  Right,'*  and  with  all  the  power  she 
could  command  she  set  to  work  to  make  herself  the 
mistress  of  the  world  on  this  basis !  What  she  pro- 
posed to  do  was  to  make  "a  place  in  the  sun"  for 
herself  and  hers,  no  matter  whether  any  other  hu- 
man being  in  all  the  world  had  a  case  to  put  his  head 
in  or  not!  With  a  population  that  had  already 
reached  the  density  of  300  to  the  square  mile,  and 
with  the  number  of  square  miles  which  her  rapidly 
increasing  surplus  needed  for  accommodation,  lim- 
ited as  it  was,  she  saw  that  the  only  thing  to  do 
to  make  sure  of  her  future  welfare,  figured  on  this 
basis,  was  to  make  room  for  herself  and  hers,  and 
this  she  proposed  to  do,  come  what  might! 

All  of  which  means  that  it  was  a  prospective  pres- 
sure of  population,  and  an  effort  to- relieve  the  same, 
which  was   really  the  chiefest   cause   of   Germany's 


What  SJiovld  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   327 

bringing  about  the  world's  greatest  war.  Of  this, 
as  a  final  analysis,  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt. 

And  when  one  puts  in  with  this  the  fact  that  Eng- 
land, with  her  population  of  600  to  the  square  mile, 
was  also  in  need  of  more  room  for  herself  and  hers, 
while  Italy  with  her  350  to  the  square  mile,  was 
sending  out  an  average  of  nearly  a  million  emi- 
grants a  year  to  find  homes  where  they  could;  and 
Belgium,  with  her  650  to  the  square  mile  was  using 
every  endeavor  within  her  power  to  find  places  for 
her  surplus  which  was  crowding  to  the  limits  of 
sustainable  pressure,  to  say  nothing  of  the  pressure 
in  Russia  and  the  Far  East — I  say,  when  one  puts 
all  these  facts  together,  it  is  self-evident  that,  even 
as  things  now  are,  it  was  the  surplus  of  population 
which  was  a  prime  factor  in  causing  the  most  recent 
and  terrible  of  all  wars. 

Curious  fact  it  is,  that  none  of  these  nations 
which  engaged  in  this  war  (unless  we  except  France) 
ever  thought  of  relieving  the  situation  by  cutting 
down  the  birth-rate  by  birth  control !  I  suppose  one 
reason  why  they  did  not  was  the  fact  that  they  were 
not  yet  far  enough  advanced  in  the  real  principles 
of  genuine  humanity  to  comprehend  such  a  way  of 
escape  from  an  untoward  situation;  and,  further, 
that  none  of  them  dared,  or  could,  use  this  method 
of  relieving  this  over-pressure  of  population  unless 
all  the  other  nations  with  whom  they  were  in  rivalry, 
adopted   the  same  means   at   the   same  time.     And 


328         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

this,  as  tilings  then  were,  was  an  utter  impossibil- 
ity. It  needed  the  crass  stimulus  of  this  war  to 
wake  these  nations  up  to  a  realizing  sense  of  the 
situation  and  to  at  least  suggest  to  them  a  way 
of  escape  which  would  be  at  once  humane  and  ef- 
fective! But  as  they  were,  all  these  nations  were 
on  the  low  plane  of  mere  materialism ;  they  had,  per- 
haps unwittingly,  embraced  the  philosophy  of  The 
Survival  of  the  Fittest  as  the  law  of  all  life-progress, 
and  they  saw  possible  help  from  out  a  perilous  sit- 
uation only  by  means  of  carrying  out^the  principle 
of  a  materialistic  evolution,  namely,  that  might 
makes  right,  and  that  it  is  as  it  should  be  that  the 
strongest  should  take  all  they  can  get,  and  keep  all 
they  have,  utterly  regardless  of  any  and  every  one 
but  themselves  and  theirs!  This  is  the  law  of  the 
animal  man !  It  is  not  the  law  of  the  plus  of  hu- 
manity ! 

What  the  law  of  the  plus  of  humanity  suggests  is, 
that  it  would  be  far  better  sense,  far  more  humane, 
to  limit  the  number  of  children  born  into  this  world, 
than  it  is  to  destroy  the  surplus  of  the  human  spe- 
cies by  such  means  as  have  heretofore  prevailed  in 
disposing  of  such  super-abundance  of  mankind. 
Doesn't  that  proposition  sound  reasonable?  And  if 
it  is  reasonable;  and  further,  if  it  is  within  the  pos- 
sibilities for  human  ingenuity  to  devise  and  put  into 
operation  ways  and  means  for  keeping  down  the 
surplus,  doesn't  it  seem  as  though  it  was  the  right 


Whut  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be  329 

thing  to  do  to  use  such  a  method  of  dealing  with 
this  issue,  rather  than  any  other?  It  would  cer- 
tainly seem  so  to  any  sane  soul,  if  there  are  any 
such  souls!     But  let  us  not  rail! 

There  are  other  opponents  to  the  Malthusian  the- 
ory who  declare  that  the  higher  any  life-organism 
is  developed  the  less  productive  it  becomes,  and  that 
this  principle,  as  exemplified  in  the  human  species, 
will  eventually  cancel  the  tendency  of  the  race  to 
over-breed.  Let  us  look  into  this  theory,  and  see 
what  the  evidences  are  of  its  truthfulness:  So  far 
as  instinctive  life  is  concerned,  the  theory  is  un- 
doubtedly correct.  The  finest  varieties  of  apples 
grow  on  trees  which  are  "shy  bearers,"  and  the  high- 
est bred  stock  produce  the  fewest  descendants.  This 
is  all  true.  But  my  own  observation  leads  me  to 
make  a  distinction  just  here,  so  far  as  the  human 
species  is  (concerned.  These  theorists  seem  to  hold 
that  culture,  training,  college  education,  the  pos- 
session of  great  wealth,  moving  in  the  best  society, 
etc.,  that  these  are  all  marks  of  high  bred  people; 
and,  consequently,  that  it  is  these  people  who  have 
a  less  ability  to  breed  than  have  those  who  are  ig- 
norant or  poor.  And  here  is  where  my  doubt  comes 
in.  As  I  have  suggested  on  some  former  page,  my 
observation  leads  me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is 
not  inability  to  reproduce  that  keeps  these  people 
from  having  large  families;  but  that,  being  what 
they  are,  and  being  able  to  obtain  certain  knowledge 


330         Children  by  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

in  the  premises ;  or  having  the  means  which  will  en- 
able them  to  disregard  the  laws  in  such  cases  made 
and  provided,  they  do,  by  a  wilful  birth-control,  keep 
their  families  within  the  limits  of  their  purposes  and 
desires.  I  am  not  able  to  bring  statistics  to  prove 
this  point  either;  but  I  believe  your_conclusions  will 
be  mine  if  you  will  look  about  ainong  the  people  of 
all  classes  whom  you  know,  and  make  up  your  minds 
from  your  own  observations  regarding  them,  so  far 
as  this  item  is  concerned. 

But,  grant,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  these 
people  are  right  in  their  theory,  namely,  that  culture 
and  wealth  tend  to  sterilize  the  possessors  of  one 
or  both ;  still,  one  cannot  help  wondering  when  the 
whole  human  race,  the  total  of  the  rank  and  file,  in- 
cluding the  hewers  of  wood  and  the  drawers  of  water, 
are  going  to  come  into  the  possession  of,  or  attain 
to  the  amount  of  culture  and  wealth  which  will  ster- 
ilize them  to  the  extent  that,  take  the  race  as  a  whole, 
there  will  be  no  surplus  of  the  species  that  will  have 
to  be  provided  for,  or  against !  If  these  objectors 
to  the  ^lalthusian  theory  can  show  that  their  pro- 
posed remedy  will  do  the  work,  that  is  enough.  For 
myself,  I  don't  believe  that  it  can  ever  do  it.  My 
thought  is,  that  their  holding  as  they  do  is  only  one 
way  of  side-stepping  an  issue  which  they  are  really 
unwilling  or  afraid  honestly  to  face. 

A  modem  philosopher  who  was  a  very  pro- 
nounced opponent  to  the  Malthusian  theory,  made 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be  331 

an  answer  to  it  which  was  unique — and  wrong!  In 
his  great  desire  to  impress  his  theories  upon  his 
readers,  he  made  the  claim  that,  if  these  were  once 
established,  all  else  would  be  well  with  the  world. 
And  here  is  how  he  disposed  of  the  "surplus  of  the 
species,"  as  it  pertains  to  the  human  race.  He  said 
that  the  web  of  generations  is  like  the  diagonals  in 
a  piece  of  cloth.  Beginning  at  any  given  point, 
these  lines  expand  equally  in  opposite  directions! 
How  many  children  a  man  may  have  is  problemat- 
ical, he  says,  but  that  he  had  two  parents  is  certain, 
and  that  each  of  these  two  had  two  in  turn,  is  equally 
sure !  And  then,  on  this  basis  he  invites  those  who 
believe  in  the  Malthusian  theory  to  "figure  the  thing 
out"  and  see  what  answer  they  get.  Let  us  do  that, 
for  a  little,  at  least: 

My  father  and  mother  had  eight  children ;  each  of 
us  had  two  parents  and  four  grandparents.  Good! 
But,  with  each  of  us  children  having  four  grand- 
parents, we,  all  together,  had  but  four,  and  not 
thirty-two,  as  this  man's  theory  would  make  us 
have!  Quod  erat  Demonstrandum!  Curious  how 
some  people  reason !  No !  In  the  web  of  genera- 
tions the  diagonals  grow  wide  apart  much  faster 
on  the  forward  march  than  they  do  when  moving 
in  the  opposite  direction.  And  thjs  settles  this  ar- 
gument so  far  as  it  opposes  Mr.  Malthus*  theory. 

One  point  further:  It  goes  without  saying  that 
the  establishment  of  some  check,  or  checks,  to  pre- 


ddS         Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

vent  a  surplus  of  mankind  is  a  matter  of  necessity 
for  the  self-preservation  of  the  race,  and  self-pres- 
ervation is  the  first  law  of  life!  And  because  this 
is  so,  in  the  natural  order  of  things  it  is  not  a  ques- 
tion in  the  premises  as^te-^^at  should  be,  but  of 
what  must  be,  which  is  my  special  contention. 

Once  more:  It  should  be  noted  that  all  the  crude 
checks  to  the  surplus  of  humanity  which  I  have  men- 
tioned, namely,  war,  famine,  etc.,  are,  in  many  re- 
spects, chance  items  in  the  count,  and  that  is  both 
a  good  and  a  great  reason  why  they  should  be  elimi- 
nated as  factors  in  human  out-workings.  Accord- 
ing to  the  principles  I  have  urged,  and  which  are 
fundamental  in  all  substantial  human  progress,  all 
forms  of  chance  should  be  removed  from  human  af- 
fairs of  every  kind,  and  the  reign  of  deliberate  hu- 
man choice  and  deliberate  human  control  by  means 
of  the  exercise  of  the  human  will,  should  be  set  up 
in  its-  stead.  This  is,  this  can  be,  the  only  abiding 
law  for  the  advancement  of  the  human  race.  And 
the  control  of  birth  in  the  humofn  species  is  no  excep- 
tion to  this  u/niversal  law! 

Reviewing  all  these  points  which  I  have  so  par- 
tially called  your  attention  to,  is  it  not  clear  that, 
without  "checks"  of  some  sort,  the  human  species 
will  constantly  tend  to  produce  a  surplus,  which 
must  be  gotten  rid  of,  in  some  way,  or  a  congestion 
of  population  will  surely  follow?  And  does  it  not 
further  follow  that,  with  the  old  initial  checks  re- 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be 

moved,  or  losing  their  force,  another,  or  others,  must 
be  devised  to  take  their  place?  Is  it  not  equally 
certain  that  human  desire  is  in  favor  of  such  checks 
being  found  and  made  efficient?  And  do  not  all  the 
probabilities  suggest  that  human  imagination  and 
human  ingenuity  will  be  equal  to  the  task  of  supply- 
ing the  need  which  such  desire  suggests?  That  is, 
is  it  not  possible  that  the  bringing  of  children  into 
this  world  by  choice  rather  than  by  chance  is  at  least 
a  human  possibility,  both  in  particular  and  in  gen- 
eral? And,  this  granted,  my  argument  on  this 
point  is  closed,  so  far  as  this  part  of  the  issue  is 
concerned. 

One  other  point  in  this  connection,  and  then  my 
thesis  as  to  why  what  should  be  will  become  what 
must  be  in  these  matters  will  be  at. an  end.  This  is 
a  consideration  of  the  entrance  of  machinery  into 
modem  life  as  a  factor  in  human  affairs.  I  cannot 
go  into  this  branch  of  the  subject  to  any  great 
length,  nor  is  there  need  of  my  doing  so ;  but  I  must 
mention  a  few  items  which  are  germane  to  the  issue 
we  are  here  discussing,  as  follows : 

Up  to  a  very  few  years  ago,  the  number  and 
amount  of  things  that  could  be  made  for  human 
use  was  a  limited  quantity.  The  total  of  such  out- 
put was  what  human  hands,  directly  applied  to  se- 
cure given  results,  could  accomplish.  For  instance, 
the  number  of  pairs  of  shoes  that  could  be  made 
in  the  entire  United  States,  when  I  was  a  boy,  was 


334         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

only  such  as  could  be  produced  by  the  shoemakers 
in  this  country.  These  did  all  the  work  by  hand, 
and  the  number  of  hands  so  employed  was  a  defi- 
nite and  determinable  quantity,  which  could  not  be 
greatly  increased,  even  in  a  considerable  length  of 
time.  But  today !  Why,  today  the  number  of  ma- 
chmes  that  can  be  made  for  making  shoes  is  prac- 
tically limitless !  And  this  fact,  and  thousands  more 
that  are  practically  identical  wfth  it,  bear  a  very 
important  relation  to  the  item  of  population,  not 
only  in  the  United  States,  but  in  every  country  in 
the  world. 

And  the  relation  they  bear  is  this :  The  profusion 
of  machines  which  are  now  doing  the  world's  work 
is  rendering  the  direct  employment  of  human  hands 
to  do  the  work  which  they  once  did,  less  and  less 
necessary.  The  result  is  that  conditions  are  fast 
arising  which  make  it  harder  and  harder  for  human 
hands  to  find  any  employment  at  all!  In  plain 
terms,  there  are  too  many  of  them  to  do  what  work 
there  is  left  for  human  hands  to  do !  And  this  means 
a  surplus  of  population,  when  translated  into  words 
that  apply  to  the  problem  we  are  now  studying. 

To  overcome  this  new  order  of  things  in  human 
history,  various  expedients  are  being  resorted  to, 
the  chief  of  which  is  the  shortening  of  the  number 
of  hours  per  day  or  week  in  which  the  labor  done 
by  human  hands  can  be  employed.  These  are  grow- 
ing fewer  and  fewer,  with  each  recurring  year,  as 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be  335 

the  number  of  machines  used  increases  and  the  num- 
ber of  hands  that  need  employment  grow  more  and 
more  numerous.  This  is  a  terse  statement  of  one 
phase  of  the  situation ;  and  what  it  means  is  not 
hard  to  decipher.  It  is  only  one  more  proof  of  a 
surplus  of  human  beings,  where  a  fewer  number 
would  meet  all  needful  requirements.  And  the  ques- 
tion is,  what  to  do  about  it? 

Another  effort  that  is  very  generally  being  made 
to  help  out  in  this  threatening  crisis  is  put  forth 
by  the  unionizing  of  labor,  and  thereby  attempt- 
ing to  limit  the  number  of  hands  that  may  be  em- 
ployed in  any  and  all  vocations.  The  old  system  of 
apprenticeship  has  been  practically  abandoned  in 
all  trades  and  professions,  and  the  standard  of  ac- 
quirements which  these  demand  has  been  raised  at 
the  same  time,  until  now  many,  if  not  most,  of  these 
organized  labor  associations  absolutely  control  the 
market  for  their  employment,  and  it  is  constantly 
getting  more  difficult  for  non-union  labor  to  find 
any  employment  at  all.  And  as  I  write  these  lines, 
just  at  the  close  of  the  great  war,  the  supreme  prob- 
lem of  the  hour  is  how  to  find  employment  for  the 
millions  of  soldiers  who  are  returning  from  army 
life.  And,  to  increase  this  complication,  during  the 
years  which  these  soldiers  have  been  in  army  service, 
women  have  been  employed  by  the  millions  to  do  the 
work  which  men  once  did,  and  they  have  done  it  so 
well  that  their  employers  are  loath  to  let  them  go. 


336  Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

And  if  they  do  not  go,  the  question  is,  where  will 
the  men  who  once  did  this  work  find  work  to  do? 
This,  in  spite  of  the  concurrent  fact  tliat  many  mil- 
lions of  men  who  formerly  did  the  work  tliat  women 
are  now  doing,  are  dead  and  buried  on  the  fields  of 
Belgium  and  France! 

In  the  face  of  all  this,  there  is  a  scarcity  of  work 
to  be  done,  and  a  steadily  increasing  number  of 
hands  that  are  seeking  and  needing  employment! 
This  is  a  situation  which  is  bound  to  grow  more  and 
more  intense,  rather  than  less  strenuous,  as  the  fu- 
ture becomes  the  present;  and  because  this  is  so,  it 
is  a  situation  which  demands  the  most  careful  and 
thouglitful  attention  of  all  who  have  the  well-being 
of  humanity  in  mind.  War-following  conditions 
may  have  upset  this  order  of  things  temporarily,  but 
the  principle  is  perpetual,  and  the  situation  I  have 
outlined  will  ultimately  obtain,  give  it  time. 

Add  to  these  things  the  certainty  of  the  produc- 
ing possibilities  of  the  machinery  which  is  sure  to 
be  soon  set  up  in  countries  which  are  now  densely 
populated,  but  which  have  not,  as  yet,  engaged  in 
manufacturing,  and  the  seriousness  of  the  problem 
grows  more  and  more  pronounced.  For  many  years, 
Germany  has  kept  Italy  from  becoming  a  manufac- 
turing nation.  Italy  has  no  coal,  and  Germany, 
through  her  power  as  a  member  of  the  Triple  Alli- 
ance, would  not  permit  Italy  to  develop  her  water- 
power,  of  which  she  has  a  groat  abundance;  and  so 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   337 

this  densely  populated  nation  has  been  unable  to 
employ  her  people  at  home,  and  has  been  obliged 
to  get  rid  of  her  surplus  population  by  emigration. 
But  now  Italy,  released  from  her  former  lord  and 
master,  is  planning  to  harness  up  her  waterfalls 
and  put  this  long-latent  power  at  work  driving  all 
sorts  of  machines  which  are  to  make  all  sorts  of 
things,  for  all  sorts  of  people,  all  over  the  whole 
world ! 

And  what  Italy  purposes  to  do,  Japan  stands 
ready  to  duplicate,  ad  lib!  Add  Russia  to  this 
same  order  of  proposed  extended  mechanical  exploi- 
tation, together  with  other  great  nations  of  the  Far 
East,  and  something  of  the  extent  of  what  the  fu- 
ture has  in  store  for  humanity  on  this  count  may  be 
somewhat  generally  comprehended,  to  say  the  least. 

And  all  this  can  mean  but  one  thing,  namely,  that 
under  this  order  of  things,  there  is  a  constant  lessen- 
ing of  opportunity  for  laborers  to  do  the  work  of 
the  world,  and  this  must  mean  that  there  must  be 
a  corresponding  lessening  of  the  number  of  laborers 
to  do  what  work  is  left  to  be  done  by  human  hands, 
or  trouble  is  bound  to  ensue.  All  of  which  inev- 
itably links  itself  up  to  the  problem  we  are  now 
studying,  and  proves,  beyond  doubt,  that  some 
"check"  must  be  put  upon  human  reproduction,  if 
a  healthy  and  wholesome  state  of  affairs  is  to  ob- 
tain in  the  coming  generations.  And  this  means 
that  the  having  of  children  by  chance,  as  under  the 


338  Children  hy  Chance  or  hy  Choice 

old  order  of  things,  must  pass,  and  the  having  of 
them  by  choice,  where  their  number  can  be  controlled 
by  the  exercise  of  the  human  will  must  take  its  place. 
And  this  is  another  reason  why  what  should  be  will 
be  compelled  to  become  what  must  be. 

As  to  how  the  number  of  children  born,  as  a  whole, 
is  to  be  determined,  under  this  order  of  things,  this 
is,  of  course,  an  open  question,  and  one  which  time 
and  experiment  alone  can  answer.  I  have  no  idea 
that  it  will  ever  result  from  edicts  issued  from  some 
central  authority;  but  rather  that  it  will  arrive  by 
way  of  a  free  and  natural  response  of  people  who 
know,  and  who  have  within  their  own  resources,  the 
means  of  increasing  or  decreasing  the  supply  of 
human  beings  that  will  best  meet  the  social  require- 
ments of  any  day  or  age.  Suggestions  as  to  these 
needs,  one  way  or  the  other,  can  now  be  readily 
disseminated  all  over  the  earth,  and  that  such  sug- 
gestions will  be  heeded  and  acted  upon  is  certainly 
not  beyond  the  possibilities  of  realization.  The  ex- 
periences of  this  last  war  fully  warrant  the  possi- 
bility of  such  action,  where  we  have  more  than  once 
seen  millions  of  people,  of  different  nationalities,  of 
widely  separated  conditions  and  beliefs,  respond,  al- 
most as  an  unit,  to  the  mere  suggestion  that  this  or 
that  be  done!  Sugar  bowls  were  but  gingerly  re- 
lieved of  their  contents,  all  over  the  civilized  world, 
at  the  mere  request  that  they  be  so  treated;  and 
whole  nations  went  without  Sunday  rides  in  their  au- 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   339 

tomobiles  upon  the  mere  asking  of  those  who  discov- 
ered and  disclosed  the  need  of  their  so  doing  in  order 
to  save  gasoline  wherewith  to  win  the  war.  These 
are  facts  which  go  to  prove  the  latent  possibilities 
that  are  inherent  in  humanity  (the  plus  of  it!)  in 
response  to  needed  requirements  which  inure  to  the 
good  of  mankind!  My  thought  is,  that  if  condi- 
tions arose  in  which  there  was  a  reasonable  proba- 
bility that  the  human  race  was  increasing  faster  than 
was  best  for  the  interests  of  all  parties  concerned, 
all  over  the  earth,  that  a  general  dissemination  of 
the  knowledge  of  such  fact  would  automatically  meet 
a  response  on  the  part  of  the  vast  majority  of  the 
people  who  knew  how, to  have  children  by  choice 
rather  than  by  chance,  and  who  would  be  glad  to 
act  according  to  the  needs  or  demands  of  the  situa- 
tion. And  the  opposite  of  this  would  probably  work 
out  equally  well.  If  people,  so  equipped,  knew  that 
there  was  need  of  a  greater  population  for  a  suc- 
ceeding generation,  they  would  respond  to  such 
need,  upon  being  informed  of  the  situation. 

Of  course,  such  aftainments  and  responses  as  I 
have  just  outlined  could  not  be  realized  immediately, 
or  all  at  once.  Great  changes  in  the  beliefs  and 
practices  of  mankind  seldom  come  suddenly,  and  they 
never  come  in  perfection.  Nevertheless,  great 
changes  do  come,  and  the  results  they  establish  are 
enduring  and  in  the  line  of  making  the  good  bet- 
ter, and  the  better  ever  tending  towards  the  best. 


340         Children  hy  Chance  or  by  Choice 

And  this  is  my  main  contention,  namely,  that  what 
has  worked  out  so  well,  so  many  times,  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  will  work  out  equally  well  in  this 
new  field  for  its  exploitation. 

As  to  how  the  mastery  of  the  Science  of  Procrea- 
tion, in  accordance  with  these  requirements,  is  to 
be  obtained,  and  how  the  same  is  to  be  generally 
disseminated,  among  all  classes  of  people,  these  also 
are  problems  which  the  future  alone  can  solve.  I 
have  made  some  tentative  suggestions  on  these  points 
in  previous  pages,  but  the  whole  situation  is  so  new 
and  so  complicated  that  it  will  require  the  ablest  ef- 
forts of  the  ablest  men  and  women  in  the  world, 
through  long  years  of  study  and  experimentation 
before  success  will  be  obtained.  But  there  are  no 
reasons  why  attempts  in  the  right  direction  should 
not  be  begun,  and  that  they  will  be  begun,  and  that 
before  long,  I  believe  to  be  absolutely  certain.  I 
have  already  called  the  attention  of  my  readers  to 
certain  signs  of  the  times  pointing  in  this  direction, 
and  every  day  such  signs  are  multiplying,  all  along 
the  line.  As  I  write,  there  comes  to  my  desk  a 
journal  which  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  subject  of 
birth-control,  and  many  medical  publications  and 
other  printed  documents  are  taking  up  the  discus- 
sion of  the  subject  in  no  uncertain  way.  My  belief 
is  tliat,  in  the  very  near  future,  societies  will  be 
formed,  all  over  this  and  other  countries,  for  the 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be   341 

study  and  discussion  of  this  subject;  and  that,  as  a 
result  of  such  organizations,  the  first  step  will  be 
taken  which  will  open  up  the  possibility  of  further 
and  real  progress  in  the  premises.  This  first  step 
will  be  the  repealing  of  the  mal-formed  and  ill-con- 
sidered laws  upon  this  subject,  which  now  stand  upon 
the  statute  books  of  many  states  and  nations, 
thereby  making  it  practically  impossible  for  any 
real  progress  to  be  made  in  solving  these  greatest 
problems  which  now  lie  before  the  human  race.  The 
membership  in  these  associations  will  become  so  nu- 
merous and  so  forceful  that  their  united  voice  will 
be  heard  and  heeded  by  legislators  and  courts,  in 
no  uncertain  way.  Action  will  follow  these  demands, 
and  other  results  will  duly  follow  in  natural  se- 
quence.    This  is  inevitable ! 

A  recent  world-wide  attainment  that  will  make 
such  progress  much  easier  than  it  would  otherwise 
be,  is  the  fact  that  Modern  Science  has  now  created 
a  passionless  vocabulary  by  means  of  which  this 
whole  subject  can  now  be  publicly  discussed  without 
shocking  even  the  most  sensitive  by  its  considera- 
tion of  the  theme.  Besides  this,  it  is  unquestion- 
ably true  that  this  same  Modern  Science  has  tended, 
in  many  ways,  to  make  multitudes  of  men  and  women 
open-minded  and  fair,  and  to  be  honestly  anxious 
to  know  the  truth  in  these  matters,  as  in  all  others. 
These  are  great  attainments,  such  as  the  world  has 


342  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

never  before  seen,  and  thej  all  tend  to  make  pos- 
sible a  successful  working-out  of  the  principles  and 
practices  which  I  have  outlined  in  this  book. 

The  point  I  want  to  urge,  in  closing  this  chapter, 
is,  that  what  I  have  maintained  shotdcl  be  in  my  ear- 
lier pages,  I  trust  I  have,  in  these  later  pages,  proven 
must  be,  in  due  course  of  time.  And  I  would  like  to 
urge,  in  addition  to  this,  that  you  who  read  these 
lines,  help  along  the  cause  I  have  herein  set  forth, 
and  that  you  do  wliat  you  can  to  promote  its  for- 
warding and  its  interests.  My  feeling  is  that  this 
cause  is  just,  and  because  it  is  so,  it  is  worthy  of 
the  best  efforts  of  all  men  and  women,  everywhere. 
You,  whoever  you  are,  are  one  of  such ;  and  as  such, 
do  what  you  can  for  what,  in  your  heart  of  hearts, 
you  believe  is  right.     So  may  it  be ! 

In  closing  tliis  chapter,  I  cannot  do  better  than 
to  quote  a  part  of  a  leading  editorial  from  one  of 
the  most  stable  and  forceful  literary  and  scientific 
journals  published  in  the  United 'States,  as  follows: 

"There  is  no  more  important  question  to  be  faced 
at  the  present  time  than  this  problem  of  the  birth- 
rate. At  the  same  time,  we  have  got  to  admit  that 
procreation  is  not  the  sole  way  in  which  the  sexual 
instinct  is  satisfied  at  the  present  tiniCy  and  we  can- 
not forbid  rational  enquiry  into  the  origin  of  this 
distinction.  Wliat  is  lamentable  in  tlie  present  and 
widespread  movement  for  birth-control  is  not  its  ex- 
istence, but  the  fact  that  behind  it  tliere  is  so  little 


What  Should  Be  Will  Become  What  Must  Be  343 

knowledge.  If  there  is  any  subject  into  which 
ceaseless  enquiry^  medical,  statistical,  sociological, 
psychological,  is  Tieeded,  it  is  this  problem.  Re- 
search nowhere  can  so  deeply  affect  the  welfare  of 
society  as  in  the  fullest  investigation  of  the  issues  m- 
volved.  Thus  far  we  have  contributed  nothing  save 
senseless  legislation  and  its  still  more  senseless  en- 
forcement. The  American  nation  might  as  well  un- 
derstand that  prison  never  solved  any  biological 
question;  that,  indeed,  in  order  to  thrive,  it  must 
confront  squarely  the  facts  of  the  age." 

It  is  to  help  forward  this  cause  and  secure  the  re- 
sults it  aims  to  obtain  that  I  have  in  a  previous 
paragraph,  asked  my  readers,  whoever  they  may 
be,  to  each  one  "do  his  bit"  "for  country  and  for 
God"l 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ONE  OTHER   CORRELATED   SUBJECT 

After  I  had  finished  writing  the  previous  chap- 
ter, by  a  curious  happening  the  following  letter 
came  into  my  possession,  and  for  reasons  I  give  it 
audience  here,  under  the  above  heading.  It  goes 
without  saying  that,  while  it  is  certainly  germane 
to  the  issue  I  have  considered  in  these  pages,  yet 
the  questions  it  presents  are  much  too  vast  and  far- 
reaching  to  be  adequately  discussed  in  a  book  of  this 
size,  especially  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings. 
Still,  because  the  letter  is  so  forceful,  and  because 
it  presents  a  live  issue,  and  because  it  says  so  well 
some  things  that  we  all  ought  to  think  about,  at 
least,  I  quote  it  as  follows : 

Let  me  say,  by  way  of  introduction,  that  this  let- 
ter was  written  by  an  unmarried  woman,  forty-five 
years  of  age.  It  was  written  to  an  intimate  woman 
friend,  of  like  age  and  condition.  The  writer  is 
a  highly  educated  woman,  and  author  of  several 
books  of  the  highest  literary  quality,  and  has  a  rep- 
utation that  covers  the  most  intelligent  nations  in 
two    continents.     She   is    the    possessor    of    a    fine 

344 


One  Other  Correlated  Subject  345 

physique,  and  her  whole  nature  is  that  of  the  high- 
est spiritual  sort.  In  a  word,  she  is  a  magnificent 
specimen  of  womankind,  at  its  possible  best.  She 
writes : 

"I  am  one  of  a  large,  and,  in  these  days,  a  con- 
stantly growing  class,  numerically  speaking,  of  the 
sexually  unemployed. 

"Speaking  from  my  own  experience  and  that  of  a 
large  number  of  those  who  are  conditioned  as  I  am, 
I  am  convinced  that  those  who  are  compelled  to  per- 
manently remain  unemployed,  in  any  department  of 
life  where  their  employment  is  a  necessary  factor  for 
their  well-being,  are,  because  of  the  abnormal  condi- 
tions under  which  they  are  forced  to  live,  in  con- 
stant danger  of  becoming  harmful  to  themselves  and 
to  their  fellows  among  whom  they  dwell. 

"In  lines  of  life  other  than  sexual,  men  make  laws 
and  regulations  whose  purpose  it  is  to  remedy  un- 
toward employment  conditions.  They  strive  to  find 
employment  for  the  unemployed,  and  they  protect 
those  who  are  employed  from  the  possibility  of  being 
over-worked  in  their  several  callings.  They  guard 
the  young  from  being  put  to  severe  service  too  early 
in  life,  and  prescribe  employment  conditions  for 
the  employed,  which  will  result  in  the  best  good  of 
the  parties  concerned.  But  in  matters  which  pertain 
to  sex  employment,  which  is  really  one  of  the  most 
important  in  all  human  affairs,  individually  or  so- 


346         Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

cially  considered,  here,  not  one  thing  is  done  to  rem- 
edy unhealthful  and  untoward,  not  to  say  threaten- 
ing, conditions;  but  vast  multitudes  of  men  and 
women  are  relegated  to  live  under  conditions  where 
it  is  impossible  for  them  to  find  honorable  employ- 
ment, such  as  their  natures  require  if  they  remain 
normal  and  healthy  individuals,  fulfilling  their  right- 
ful functions  as  regards  themselves,  and  in  their 
social  life.  On  the  other  hand,  nothing  is  done  to 
curb  the  possibilities  of  the  most  shameful  over- 
working of  those  who  are  respectably  and  legally 
sexually  employed,  and  who  may  be  compelled  to 
suffer  unspeakable  abuse  from  those  under  whose 
control  they  are  legally  placed. 

"The  thing  that  forces  itself  upon  me  is  this : 
Are  these  things  as  they  ought  to  be;  and,  if  they 
are  not,  can  anything  be  done  to  make  them  nearer 
right  than  they  now  are?  As  one  of  the  sexually 
unemployed,  and  on  behalf  of  my  fellow-sufferers 
from  this  cause,  I  ask  these  questions.  That  is,  I 
ask  them  to  myself,  in  the  dark,  as  it  were,  for  who 
would  dare  to  ask  them  in  the  daylight,  or  where 
everybody  could  hear  and  know  what  I  said?  And 
who  among  the  sexually  employed  cares,  or  dares, 
to  even  try  to  make  a  truthful  answer,  one  which 
would  at  least  suggest  a  remedy  for  these  untoward, 
not  to  say  positively  sinful  conditions?  Do  you 
know  any  such  one?  If  so,  please  tell  him  for  me 
to  speak  up!" 


One  Other  Correlated  Subject  347 

Regarding  this  letter,  one  can  but  say  that,  some- 
how, these  things  which  the  writer  mentions  are  not 
as  they  ought  to  be,  and  it  is  something  worth  while 
that  she  calls  attention  to  that  fact.  It  is  for  that 
reason  that  I  have  felt  it  practically  a  duty  to 
give  what  she  says,  as  I  have. 

As  to  what  to  do  about  it,  that  is  another  ques- 
tion. For  myself,  I  say  frankly  that  I  have  noth- 
ing definite  to  suggest;  and  I  don't  know  any  one 
who  has !  Still,  that  is  no  reason  why  the  problem 
should  not  be  stated,  or  why  it  should  be  put  aside 
as  unsolvable.  It  is  the  mission  of  life  to  right  all 
wrongs,  and  that  this  woman  has  pointed  out  great 
wrongs  is  unquestionable.  And  the  only  thing  for 
true  men  and  women  to  do  is  to  set  themselves  to 
work  on  the  problem;  and,  in  time,  work  it  out  to 
a  successful  issue. 

But  this  much  is  certain,  namely,  that  the  having 
of  children  by  choice  rather  than  by  chance  would, 
in  a  measure,  at  least,  relieve  the  present  unsatis- 
factory conditions  which  now  keep  large  numbers 
of  the  sexually  unemployed  from  marrying,  and  that 
would  be  something  in  the  right  direction. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  mind  of  the  Western 
world  has  never  yet  viewed  the  problem  of  the  sex- 
impulse  in  humanity,  either  for  the  married  or  the 
unmarried,  from  its  rightful  angle.  The  opinions 
of    the    neo-platonic    ascetics    became    intermingled 


34)8  Children  by  Chance  or  by  Choice 

with  the  dogmas  of  the  early  Christian  theologies, 
many  centuries  ago,  with  the  result  that  the  idea 
of  the  unworthiness  of  the  human  body,  and  espe- 
cially the  sex  part  of  it,  was  fastened  upon  Occi- 
dent mentality  with  a  grip  which  still  holds  millions 
of  people  in  its  thrall.  And  to  break  away  from 
such  deep-seated  and  long-standing  teachings  and 
beliefs  will  require  time  and  patience  and  the  wisest 
of  instruction  for  many  years.  And  yet,  all  these 
things  must  come  to  pass,  in  the  eternal  order  of 
tilings ! 

As  I  wrote  on  the  first  page  of  this  book,  content- 
ment with  attained  conditions  is  not  an  attitude  of 
mind  which  brings  the  best  results  to  humanity,  in 
any  part  of  its  being  or  estate.  Life  is  eternal 
progress,  and  so  far  as  the  human  race  is  concerned, 
that  progress  must  be  made  in  the  realms  of  The 
Plus  of  Humanity,  and  Love  and  Service  are  the 
only  factors  which  can  always  be  counted  on  to  keep 
the  race  going  in  that  direction.  And  Love  and 
Service  come  always  at  the  beck  of  choice^  and  not 
of  ch-ance  and  hence  their  offices  are  strictly  in  har- 
mony with  the  main  thesis  of  all  I  have  written  in 
these  pages.  It  is  only  in  accord  with  the  princi- 
ples embodied  in  these  words  that  I  have  said  what 
I  have  said.  If  you,  whoever  you  are,  will  read 
what  I  have  written  in  the  spirit  in  which  I  have 


One  Other  Correlated  Suhject  34)9 

written  it,  good,  and  only  good  can  result  to  all 
parties  concerned. 

And  so,  for  you  and  for  me,  I  write  for  the  last 
time,  and  as  the  sum  total  of  what  everything  in 
life  amounts  to,  LOVE  AND  SERVICE! 


THE  END 


INDEX 


"Abortion    condemned,"    179 
Abortion  discussed,  250 
Absolute  continence,   192,  193 
Absolute  mutuality  in  all  nor- 
mal sex-expression,  222 
Abuse   of   appetite  for    food, 

56 
Abuse  of  sex-expression,  214 
Aceticism  defined  and  its  re- 
sults noted,  253 
Acknowledge  the  facts,  119 
Acts  to  be  judged  by  their  re- 
sults, 147 
AfFectional  expression  a  stim- 
ulant, 211 
AflFectional  sex-expression,  154 
AflFectional   sex-expression   no 
necessary  part  of  reproduc- 
tion, 215 
After-dinner  talk,  48,  54 
Aids  to  eyes  and  ears,  71 
All-important   fact,   100 
"All  the  Children  of  All  the 

People,"  14 
Amongst  animals,  no  danger, 

110 
"Anaesthetic"  women,  129 
Analogical  methods  used,  22 
Analogies    between    man    and 
lower  animals  mostly  worth- 
less, 38 
Analogy  and  syllogism,  221 
Angle  worms  and  fertilization, 
167 


Animal  breeding  based  on  in- 
stinct, 42 
Animals  cannot  choose,  79 
Animal    experiences    not    like 

those  of  mankind,  40 
Animal     fertilizing    material, 

165 
Animals  have  no  choice,  85 
Animals    have    one    form    of 

sex-expression,  206 
Animal  instinct,  106 
Animals  only  eat  to  live,  45 
Apostle  of  Love  and  Service, 

15 
Appeal  to  love  of  show,  264 
Apple-egg  fertilization,  157 
Apple-egg    powerless    to 

choose,  177 
Application    of    methods    of 

Choice,  176 
Apprenticeship         abandoned, 

335 
Arithmetical    progression    of 

food  supply,  317 
Art  of  Love  puzzling,  233 
Art   of   war,    how    developed, 

305 
Authority  and  Morality,  148 
Auto-erotic   acts   of  children, 

218,  219 

B 

Basic  principles  for  founda- 
tion, 22 
Bear  few  children,  131 
Bees  build  as  they  must,  41 


351 


352 


Index 


Begetting  of  children   should 

be  a  matter  of  choice,  138 
Bergson's    theory    applied    to 

sex-expression,  213 
Bestial  manner  of  feeding,  49 
Bettering  humanity,  87 
Bicycles  and  morality,  145 
"Big  Stick**  moves  the  mate- 
rial  world,   311 
Biological  and  aflFectional  pur- 
pose of  marriage,  217 
Birds  build  their  nests,  76 
Birth    control    now    possible, 

288  " 
Birth  rate  kepi  high,  262 
Blasphemy  of  the  "let-alone** 

theory  and  practice,  233 
Burden   of  care   and  anxiety 
Ufted,  242 


Can  anjihing  be  done.  111 

Change  in  laws  necessary,  227 

Chance  a  factor  in  primitive 
life,  28 

Chance  now  supreme  factor, 
135 

"Checks**  for  surplus  of  spe- 
cies, 308 

"Checks**  in  human  species 
must  be,  332 

"Checks"  upon  population, 
321,  332 

Chief  cause  of  marital  trou- 
bles, 216 

Children,  multi-millionaire*s, 
246 

Children  by  dioice  better  citi- 
sens,  249 

Chivalry,  113 

Choice,  a  human  characteris- 
tic, 37 

Choice  a  measure  of  human 
progress,  28 

Choice  a  significant  factor, 
176,  178 


Choice   as   a   factor   in   plant 

and  animal  j>rogress,  29 
Choice  impossible  below  man, 

177 
Christian  woman,  The,  92 
Church    leaders    objectors    to 

birth  control,  271 
Church  situation,  281 
ChurcK-taught  peoples,  131 
Civil      institutions     supersede 

church,  283,  283 
"Come!**    the    call    to    mental 

and  spiritual  life,  311 
Commercial      sex-exploitation 

exterminated,  256 
"Common  law,*'  96 
"Conception,**    174 
Conditions  in   China,   12 
Condition  preceding  l)irlh,  199 
Congressional  attitude  on  the 

subject,  13 
"Consider  the  Lilies,**  39 
Cook-books    not    to    be    8ap> 

pressed,  57 
"C/)pulntion,**  170 
Corn-silk      and      com-tassels, 

160 
Crab-apple  tree  fruit,  S3 
Crass  stimulus  of  war,  338 
Crime  of   abortion    would   be 

removed,  250 
Crime   to    impart   knowledge, 
•     136 

Criminal  offense  to  limit  pos- 
sibilities, 187 
Crochet  work,  48 
Crude  means  used  to  stimulate 

primitive  man,  302 
Curious  and   significant   fact, 

111 

D 

Death  rate  of  chance-bom 
babies  high,  277 

Debauchery  the  result  of  dis- 
satisfaction, 343 


Index 


353 


Democracy  of  the  human 
body,   133 

Demonstration  by  civilized 
humanity,  123 

Dense  population  of  Belgium, 
327 

Dense  population  of  England, 
327 

Dense  population  of  Germany, 
326 

Derivation  of  "Morals,"  144 

Desire  at  low  ebb,  128 

Desire  for  children  natural, 
245 

Desire,  Imagination,  Inge- 
nuity, 69,  70,  84,  128 

Dickens,   Charles,  261 

Difference  between  pollen  and 
spermatazoa,  166 

Difficulties  of  the  problem  of 
voluntary  human  reproduc- 
tion can  be  overcome,  138 

Dinner  described.  A,  46,  47 

Diphtheria  and  yellow  fever 
overcome,  137 

Disagreements  and  insistences, 
117 

Disease  diminishing,  322 

Disgrace  and  responsibility  of 
the  profession,  15 

Divine  impulse,  106 

xiivinely  ordained  purpose  of 
marriage,  217 

Divorce  courts  are  abnormali- 
ties, 210 

Doctrine  of  "don't"  gives  no 
progressive  results,  257 

Doomed  to  disappointment,  9 

Doubting  souls,  279 

Do  your  bit,  343 

Duty  to  society,  186 

E 

Ear-helpers,  71 
Early  history  of  Monogamy, 
112 


Early  manifestations  of  af- 
fectional  sex-expression,  218 

Economy  of  nature,  310 

Edicts  will  never  regulate 
number  of  births,  338 

Efforts  of  military  leaders, 
263 

Element  of  slavery  in  mar- 
riage, 113 

Eliminate  risk  of  reproduc- 
tion, 223 

Emerson,  QQ 

Enforced  inhibition,  182 

"Evolution  of  Dodd,"  14 

Example  of  German  effi- 
ciency, 292 

Example  of  Jacob,  275 

Experiments  in  New  Zealand 
and  Holland,  12 

Experiences  of  men  and  wom- 
en regarding  sex-expression, 
139 

Exploiters  of  human  labor, 
271 

Exploiters  of  the  poverty- 
stricken,  273 

Extreme  suppression  of  a  nat- 
ural impulse  dangerous,  140 

.Eyesight  has  two  modes  of 
expression,  67 

Eye-helpers,  71 

Eye-sight  in  men  and  mere 
animals,  63,  64 


Famine  and  Chance,  29 
Famine    now    largely    impos- 
sible, 313 
Far  East  problem,  337 
Full    expression    of    possibili- 
ties, 196 
Fertilization  of  cells,  155 
Fertilization    of   human    egg- 
cells,  174 
Fewer  children  could  be  bet- 
ter nourished,  249 


854 


Index 


Fifth  Svm phony,  68 

**Fifty-fifty*'  the  basis  of  sex- 
expression,  217 

Final  moral-arbiter,  152 

Financial  straits  prevent  mar- 
riage, 252 

Fires  of  passion  left  uncon- 
trolled, 230 

Food  chemically  made  from 
air,  325 

Food  per  square  mile,  319 

Food  supply  and  species  limi- 
tation, 307 

Food  supply  something  to 
think  about,  318 

Former  duties  and  deeds  of 
the  church,  286 

Franklin,  88 

Free  distribution  of  sex-liter- 
ature, 294 

Fundamental  principles  in 
equity,  115 


Gntc  of  Purpose,  The.  31 
Gco}rraphy  and  morality,  145 
Geometrical     progression     of 

population,  316 
Germany  and  Italy,  336 
Germany's  scientific  foresight, 

325 
Generous  view  of  natural  de- 
sires, 59 
"Gestation  period,"  171 
Getting  drunk  right  or  wrong? 

151 
Giraffe's-neck  theory,  219 
Girl  babies  tolerated,  269 
Gluttons  in  the  world,  56 
God-born  expression,  105 
God's  intent,  89 
God  no  respecter  of  persons, 

194 
Golden  Rule  applied,  152 
"Go!"  the  demand  in  the  ma- 
terial world,  311 


"Go  to  the  ant,"  37 
Great   changes   in   belief   and 
practice  come  slowly,  339 

H 

Habitual  unrest  leads  to  quar- 
rels, 244 

Handicap  of  ignorance,  12 

Harder  for  human  hands  to 
find  employment,  333 

"Hard  knocks"  aroused  prim- 
itive man,  307 

Have  people  a  right  to  re- 
main unmarried?  189 

Hearers  fewer  than  seers,  55 

Hearing  and  the  plus  of  hu- 
manity, 67 

Heart  to  Heart  talk,  97 

Help  the  cause  along,  349 

Helps  to  humanity,  70 

Hindoo  philosopher,  75 

"Holy  ground,"  164 

Honesty  of  Church  leaders, 
969 

Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due, 
270 

How  animal  eggs  are  fertil- 
ised, 168 

How  cells  multiply,  155 

How  flowers  are  fertilized, 
157 

How  human  progress  began, 
50 

Humane  and  effective  plan, 
3-28 

Human  acts  cannot  be  meas- 
ured by  animal  standards, 
43 

Human  beings  begin  life  on 
animal  plan,  80 

Human  body  held  to  be  con- 
temptible, 57 

Humanity  and  common  sense, 
23 

Human  physical  appetite  con- 
trolled by  choice,  45 


Index 


355 


Human   species   no   exception 

to  law  of  increase,  332 
Human  will,  a  check,  314 
Human  will,  a  factor,  86 
Human  will,  the  basis  of  plus 

of  humanity,  44 
Husband  could  kill  wife,  115 


Ignorance  and  innocence,  154 

"If  two  shall  agree,"  116 

Ill-considered  laws  must  be 
repealed,  341 

Imagination   for  partner,   106 

Imagination  supplements  de- 
sire, 50 

Immediate  legislation  may  be 
had,  15 

Impulse,  77,  78,  84 

Incarnating  souls  haphazard? 
30 

Increase  in  average  life-time, 
323 

Indefiniteness  of  the  situa- 
tion, 10 

India  conditions,  12 

Indications  of  reason  and 
common  sense,  200 

Infertile  cells,  155 

Ingenuity  supplements  imagi- 
nation, 50 

Indiscriminate  indulgence,  102 

Individuality  determines  its 
own  actions,  38 

Individual  liberty,  190 

Instinct,  75,  84 

Instinct  is  universal,  83 

Instinct  makes  no  progress, 
77 

Instinct  not  suflScient  guide, 
81 

Instinct  sole  guide,  99 

Intuitive  knowledge  safe 
guide,  84 

Intuition,  81,  82,  84 


Issue    involve,     many    items, 

Italy    released    from    former 
condition,  336 


Jack  Tanner's  exclamation, 
246 

Japan  as  a  factor  in  the  prob- 
lem,  337 

Jealousy  rooted  in  selfishness, 
254 

Journalism  a  help,  340 

Judgment,  82 

"Judgment  Day"  in  advance, 
55 

Jungle  and  an  unknown  way, 
127 

Justice  and  right,  192 


Knowledge  of  science  of  re- 
production    now     possible, 

289,  290 


Labor  for  original  researches, 
31 

Law  compels  a  wife  to  submit, 
222 

Law  of  surplus  never  re- 
pealed, 314 

Laws  of  United  States,  181 

Laws  to  stimulate  reproduc- 
tion, 272 

Legal  rights,  106 

Letter  from  an  unmarried 
woman,  344,  345 

Letter  regarding  extreme  sup- 
pression of  the  sex-impulse, 
141 

"Let  them  alone,"  229 

"Let  them  lie  in  the  bed  they 
made,"  236 


856 


Index 


IJrentioii9M88    ontslde    wed- 
lock, 951 
Life  is  eternal  progress,  ^98 
IJfe-Force  alwajrs  mores  man 

up,  301 
T,ife-Forre*s  problem?  303 
IJfe-fonns     practically     sex- 
less, 907 
Ufe  has  rall!c<1  from  all  ret- 
rogressions, 999 
TJly  has  no  volition,  41 
Limited    mission   of  eyesight 

in  animals,  64 
Literature  and  eyesight,  65 
Living  a  continual  lie,  96 
Long,  H.  W.,  M.  D^  237 
Low  French  birth-rate,  987 
Love  and  Service,  348,  349 
liOve^xchanges     essential     to 

marital  happiness,  995 
Lowly   origin   of   ^Sbtt  hmnan 

race,  300 
Lying  modes  of  sex-^iving^  98 

M 

Maeterlinck,  39 

Machinrr}'  as  a  factor  In  the 

pmblem,  333 
Main    thesis    to    be    read    as 

written,  348 
Malthus,  Rev.  T.  It,  315,  393 
Malthus*  Taw  of  species,  316 
Man  and  Su{)ennan,  946 
Man   ents   to  live,  and   some- 
thing more,  45 
Mankind     outside     animality, 

109 
Mankind    outside    comparison 

with  mere  animals,  38 
Mankind  something  more  than 

any  other  life  forms,  43 
Man    made    in    God*s    image, 

309 
Man*s  meddling  with  nature, 

79 


Man    more    than     flesh     and 

blood,  906 
Marital  rights,  916 
Marriage    gives    free    rein    to 

sex-exploitation,  ^17 
Mastery  of  reproductive  sex- 
expression   demande<l,  139 
Materially    constructive    pur- 
pose of  food,  69 
Matters  of  must,  176 
Meaning      of      righteousness, 

146 
Mechanical   progress  tlmmgh 

choice,  34 
Meddling  with  Naturr,  35,  198 
Medical    S«>oiety*s    •*me<ldling 

with  nature**  report,  35 
Mendel,  39,  41 
Militarism  must  hare  nimiefc 

986 
Military  situation  considered, 

978 
Miracles  not  frequent,  103 
Mission  of  diurch  now  splrit- 

nal,  984 
Mission  of  sex  in  human  fam- 

ilv,  118 
Modem  Science  to  ttie  rescue, 

341 
Moral    act   may   be   unright- 
eous, 146 
Morality     and     righteovsnesi 

compared,  144 
Morality   the   "proper  thing," 

144 
"Mortify  the  flesh,*'  254 
Most  children  bom  bv  chance, 

909 
Much    prudery   swept    away, 

993 
Mult  l-millionaire      diildrcn, 

946 
Multiplication  of  species  and 

food  supply,  307 
Mutual  agreement,  116 
Mutuality    of    sex-expression 


Index 


367 


healthful     and     wholesome, 
Mutual  consent  not  required, 

no 

Mutual    expressions    promote 

well-being,  209 
Myriads  of  waiting  souls,  199 
Mystery  for  science  to  solve, 

291 

N 

Nature  and  instinct  not  suffi- 
cient guides,  229 

Nature  and  man  working  to- 
gether, 30 

Natural  desire  for  Children, 
245 

Natural  desires  held  to  be  sin- 
ful, 58 

Needless  suflFering  of  hus- 
bands and  wives,  222 

Need  of  clear  exposition,  13 

Need  of  dissemination  of  sex- 
knowledge,  228 

Neo-platonic  ascetics,  348 

Nervous  breakdown  from  re- 
pression, 185 

Neyer  -  ought  -  to  -  be  parents, 
258 

New-developed  philosophy  of 
natural  desires,  59 

Newness  of  the  whole  situa- 
tion, 340 

Newly  wedded  husbands  and 
wives,  229 

North  Pole  searches,  ^0 

No  slight  task,  120 

Not  only  rightful  way,  108 

Not  rhapsodising,  107 

"Now  is  the  accepted  time," 
296 

Number  of  cells  and  life- 
germs,  197 

Number  of  germs  equals  stars 
in  the  sky,  171 


Old  order  is  passing  away,  87 

Omne  vivum  ex  ovo,  156,*  165, 
172 

One  must  not  insist  where  two 
are  concerned,  116 

One  standard  of  right  before 
God,  146 

Only  one  way  to  maintain  a 
nation,  279 

Opinions  of  "Good  Society,** 
148 

Opponents  to  Malthusian  the- 
ory, 329 

Opposition  of  church  leaders, 
266 

Original  intent  and  purpose, 
134 

Ovaries,  location  and  func- 
tion, 173 


Pabulum,  mental  and  spirit- 
ual, 60 

Parker,  Theodore,  88 

"Parturition,"  or  birth,   171 

"Patiently  wait  for  outcome," 
237 

Paul's  declaration,  91 

People  who  like  to  see  things, 
55 

Perfect  harmony,  107 

Persistence  of  afFectional  sex- 
expression,  219 

Personal  observations,  126 

Philanthropic  moves  thwarted, 
324 

"Phones,"  "phone"  words,  71, 
72 

Physical  appetite  for  food  as 
shown  in  mankind,  45 

"Pigment  spot,"  63 

"Pie  belt,"  47 

Pitfalls  and  bogs  left  open 
for  newlyweds,  231 

Plagues  and  chance,  28 


858 


Index 


Playinf?  "dead  dog,"  141 

Plus  becomes  more  and  more 
supreme,  73 

Plusses  of  eyeslg:ht»  66 

Plus  of  Humanity  defined,  44 

Plus  of  humanity,  203 

Pollen  and  its  mission.  158 

Poor  people  not  obliged  to 
have  children,  249 

Population  doubling  every  50 
years,  309 

Population  of  British  Islands, 
390 

Population  per  square  mile, 
319,  320 

Portal  of  Chance,  The,  31 

Possibilities  for  race  surplus 
great  as  ever,  323 

Possibility  of  coercion,  115 

Possibility  of  parentage  elim- 
inated,* 184 

Possible  power  of  choice  in 
human  breeding,  4Si 

Pregnancy,  174 

Pregnancy  and  affectional 
sex-expression,  920 

Pre-blstoric  testimony,  998 

"Presto,  pass,**  88 

Primal  qualities  in  mankind, 
300 

Primary  checks  on  human  re- 
production passing  away, 
339 

Primary  expression,  105 

Prime  factor  in  great  war,  397 

Primitive  eyes,  63 

Principle  of  Progress  by 
choice  solidified,  23 

Prisons  never  solved  any  bio- 
logical problem,  343 

Problem  of  the  unmarried 
should  be  stated,  347 

"Prodigality  of  nature,**  160, 
170 

Production  of  human  germs 
still  a  surplus,  313 


Progress    a    constant    factor, 

997,  998 
Proposing  and  opposing,  244 
Pros  and  cons  of  two  modes 

of  sex-expression,  153 
Prostitution     might     be     de- 
stroyed, 256 
Prove  up  your  own  acts!  150 
Public  school  sex  hygiene,  995 
Puritanical  influences,  1^ 
Purple  sheep,  93 
Purpose  of  clothing.  The,  9f 


Q 


Quality  not  quantity  of  chil- 
dren l>orn,  950 


Race  suicide,  945 

Rank  and  file  kept  in  igno- 
rance of  sex- facts,  139 

Raw  meat  and  ungroimd 
grain,  53 

Records  necessary,  935 

R^ti  clover  blossoms,  169 

Reduction  of  births  a  calam- 
ity? 276 

Regulation  of  marriage  by 
law,  324 

Relative  values  of  Qiance  and 
Choice,  97 

Repeal  of  laws  necessary,  136 

Requests  regarding  sugar  and 
gasoline,  ^8 

Results  of  animal  breeding 
applied  to  humanity,  274 

Results  of  recent  war,  295 

Righteousness  and  morality 
compared,  141. 

Rightness  or  wrongness  <3^ 
method,  195 

Ring,   mystic   s>Tnbol,   114 

Russia  as  a  factor  in  the  prob- 
lem, 337 


Index 


359 


S 


Sane   or  insane  birth-control, 

13 
"Sane  Sex-life,"  237 
Savage  tribes  and  newly-weds, 

230 
Saying  of  Bernard  Shaw,  117 
Saying  of  Chinese  philosopher, 

116 
Scientific  study  of  conception, 

Scientific  view  of  bodily  func- 
tions, 58 
Science    of    Procreation    diffi- 
cult, 233 
Science  of  procreation  handi- 
capped, 265 
Science  of  procreation  to  be 

mastered,  31 
"Scopes,"   "scope"   words,   71, 

72 
"Seminal  fluid,"  166 
Sex-abnormalities       overcome, 

256 
Sex-expression  rises  above  in- 
stinct, 100,  101 
Sex-ignorance,  154 
"Sex  organs,"  170 
Sexual    aberrations    resulting 
from    abnormal    sex-expres- 
sion, 142 
Sexually  overworked,  345 
Sexually  unemployed,  345 
"Shamie!  Shamie!"  129 
Shaw,  Bernard,  246 
Shoes  and  machinery,  334 
Should  be  and  must  be,  297 
Side-saddles  and  morality,  145 
Side-stepping  an  issue,  330 
Sight  beyond  eyesight,  67 
Sight   in    formation   of   char- 
acter, 122 
Significant  sounds,  68 
Significant  words,  116 
Signs  of  the  times,  237 


Sinners  only  called  to  repent- 
ance, 155 

Slow  processes  of  Evolution, 
30 

Small  danger  of  extravagant 
indulgence,  243 

Smoking  and  knitting,  52 

Societies  to  be  formed  for 
handling  the  problem,  340 

Solomon,  39 

Some  check  on  human  repro- 
duction must  be  had,  337 

Sophisticated  condition,  129 

Sources  of  help  received,  20, 
21 

Source  of  human-egg  supply, 
173 

"Spawning,"  168 

Spiritual  upbuilding  and  sex- 
expression,  214 

Spiritual  upbuilding  one  mis- 
sion of  food,  62 

Statistics  not  procurable,  126 

Strawberry  fertilization,   159 

Strictly  continent  living  con- 
sidered, 226 

Strong  business  man's  tears, 
247 

Subtle  procedure  of  religious 
leaders,  267 

Surface  of  earth,  limited  area, 
325 

Surplus  of  egg-production, 
163 

Sum  total  of  life,  349 

Surgical  instrument  used  for 
producing   conception,   213 

Sweeping  conclusion.  A,  191 

Syllogism  on  man's  Sex-ex- 
pression, 94 

Synchronism  of  two  forms  of 
sex-expression,  224 


Table-furnishings    eliminated, 
49 


360 


Index 


Tatting:,  48 

Teachings    of    Jesus    Christ, 

13:2 

Teaching  vs.  practice,  95 
Tenet  of  Greek  religion,  112 
Testimony      of     keepers      of 

brothels,  225 
Testimony    of    three    classes, 

127 
Theory  of  Christian   Church, 

91,  92 
Theory    one    thing,    practice 

another,  90 
Theory    that    culture    reduces 

productivity,  329 
Things     essentially     different 

not  comparable,  40 
Third  class  of  objectors,  271 
Those  best  pleased  with  what 

they  can  eat,  54 
Three  classes  of  objectors,  260 
Three  I's,  The,  74 
Titian,  65 
To  sum  up,  201 
Tragedies  resulting  from  ab- 

nonnal  Sex-living,  142 
Treatment  of  auto-crotlc  chil- 
dren, 219 
Triple  alliance,  336 
True  law  of  normal  sex-life 

sought,  143 
Truth  and  love  the  cornerstone 

and  arch  of  real  marriage, 

218 
Twofold    manifestation,    204, 

205 
Two  modes  of  sex-expression 

in  mankind,  104,  105 
Two  modes  of  expression  for 

appetite  for  food,  60 


U 


Unable  to  nurse  their  babies, 

136 
Under  possible  control,  109 


Undeniable  meaning,  125 
Undue  strain  and  stress,  130 
Unpleasant  truths,  268 
Unusual  instance,  183 
Utterly    false    conditions,    98, 
99 

W 

War,  animal  and  human,  304 
War,    famine,    poverty,    etc., 

d03 
War  leaders,  261 
War  probably  nearing  its  end, 

312 
War  the  crudest  stimulating 

force,  304 
Waste  of  fertilising  material, 

163 
Waste    of    germs     deplored? 

172 
Web  of  generation.  The,  331 
What  evesight  makes  pMsible, 

66 
What  is  right?  178 
What  is  wicked?  191 
What    married    people   would 

prefer,  180 
A^'here  does  duty  begin?  188 
Where    results    of    acts    may 

"land,"    147 
Where  trouble  comes  in,  101 
Whitman,    237 
Whitman  on  theories,  212 
Who   cares  or   dares   to   pro- 
pose a  way  out?  346 
Wholesome  manner  of  living, 

134 
"WTiv    even    of    your  Ives?" 

149 
Why    young    people     refrain 

from  marrying,  14 
Wilful   birth*  control,   330 
Wild  hogs  and  horses,  34 
Wives  were  shut  up,  112 
Wives  were  stolen.  111 
Wonderful  fact,  124 


Index  ^61 

World  lesson,  280  Y 

World  war  as  a  factor,  335  y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A. 

Wrong  answer  of  modern  phi-  valuable  factors,  294 

losopher,  331  Young  people  prohibited  from 

Wrong    mental    attitude    re-  acquiring        Sex-knowledge, 

garding   reproduction,   169  ^^ 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

^V*^^  '^'T^  which  renewed. 

RcDtQ^OMb  JnrSubjea  to  immediate  recall. 


mA3i 


65-10  tk 


^0-4:  \sn 


jfiCXIBJiJGiOjTl 


OEU  •'^  t  1985 


gCORua  't'aB 


LD  21A-40m-4,'63 
(D6471sl0)476B 


G€neral  Library 

Uaiventty  of  California 

Berkeley 


^^'- 


ininii 


'-  ii?^- 


y" 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIB|«ARY 


